


Bliss at Dawn

by Notadream



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alive Josh, F/F, F/M, M/M, Role Reversal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-04-30 16:40:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5171606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notadream/pseuds/Notadream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if...?<br/>Emily snuck around the Washington lodge adorned in nothing but a towel, while Chris and Josh search for Chris' forgotten backpack on the mountains of Blackwood Pines. Matt, Mike, and Jessica huddled around the spirit board while Sam and Ashley escaped to the old guest cabin just a few minutes away.<br/>Everything has changed. Nothing will be the same.<br/>So will there be Bliss at Dawn?</p>
<p>This is a Role-Reversal story, with Matt x Jessica, Sam x Ashley, and Josh x Chris. Please read if you are interested :D</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Mountain of Memories and Mistakes

Description: It's just the lodge where they stayed a year ago, so what changed? What was the haunting feeling everybody felt? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...  
Matt and Emily aren't dating in this one and the storyline is very different, well, more in away that the characters are kind of switched around. Matt does not like Emily whatsoever, well, in an romantic light. I used the lines from the EmilyvsJess fight scene because they are brilliant :P This is Matt's POV  
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING INVOLVING THE UNITL DAWN FRANCHISE. IF I DID, MATTXJESS WOULD BE A THING, AND RIN WOULD BE BADASS. THAT'S AN INSIDE JOKE BTW

|Until Dawn-The True Version Part 1|

Matt whistled as he rode the cable car up to the mountain, checking his watch to keep himself occupied. The time read nine o'clock at night, so he had plenty of time before it got too dark.  
The snow fell gracefully from the sky, landing on the ground that was now cloaked in white. Matt never imagined he would be back here, at the lodge. The events from last year should have been explanation enough on why nobody else should come up...  
And yet, Joshua of all people had sent out the invitations, using the vacation as some kind of closure. Matt wasn't so sure if that was healthy or not, but he was no psychiatrist, so who was he to talk?  
So now he was coming up the mountain, alone. To say it was a little creepy would be an understatement, but he wouldn't show it. Not to be some stupid alpha male, but to make sure that nobody else got frightened. Ashley got scared super easily so he would have to keep his worries out her ear.  
“Blackwood Pines. Is it really good to be home?” Matt mumbled to himself as the cable car stopped at the top of the mountain. He exited the car, seeing Jessica sitting on the bench, looking around in her phone.  
Clearly the girl was unaware of his presence, currently enveloped in whatever social media she was skimming through. Matt grinned as he dropped to the ground, crawling on the wooden floor of the cable car station, the cool night air nipping away at his cheeks.  
Thank God that Jessica could be so easily interested by her phone because he hadn't heard him at all, even when he had fumbled slightly. He found himself on the snow, and rolled over slightly, forming a ball of snow with his hands.  
“Okay,” He mumbled as he held the snowball in front of him, closing one eye to get a better look at his target. “Aim...” Matt held his breath, the frosty snow turning his palm and fingertips red.  
“Fire!” He tossed the snow ball, running for cover behind a tree as he heard a squeal from Jessica, signaling that he had made contact.  
“Matthew!” Matt bit his tongue so he wouldn't laugh, a wide grin painted across his face as he heard Jessica walking around in the snow, clearly not very happy. “When I find you I swear to God...”  
He knelt down behind the tree and scooped up the snow, quickly forming it into a spherical shape as a new game plan appeared in his mind. He may not out wit Jessica, but he can certainly out speed her.  
And it wasn't like she was that much smarter.  
Matt yelled a battle cry as he rolled up from where he was hiding behind the tree, locating Jessica quickly and tossing the snowball at lightning speed, catching the blond off guard. She yelped as the snow made contact with her knee.  
“There you are!” Before Matt could get away, Jessica threw the snowball, hurtling right at his letter jacket. Unfortunately his reflexes couldn't save him as he felt the snow sink into his chest before it fell to the ground. “And that's what you get!” Jessica crossed her hands over one another, an amused grin plastered on her face.  
“Don't fight fire with fire Jess,” Matt began as he scooped up more snow, darting to take cover behind another tree. “Or you're going to get burned!” He laughed playfully and threw the snowball at the girl.  
But she was able to leap out of the way and take cover behind a nearby picnic bench. Matt used the opportunity to stock up on snowballs, filling his hands with snowballs as different strategies raced through his head.  
Deciding to do the good ol' throw until it hits, he stayed behind his tree as he threw the snowball upwards at an arch towards where Jessica was hiding, hoping that it would get somewhere near her.  
He didn't hear it hit, but he did hear her yelp, signaling he had got pretty close.  
“Matt!” Jessica growled, snowballs in hand as her enemy continued to throw snowballs at a distance. She couldn't get a good angle behind the picnic bench because, well, it was a picnic bench. Matt had an easier time since he was just hiding behind a tree trunk.  
She deduced that her best bet would just to play offensive, and with a few snowballs, she darted out from her hiding spot and dashed towards Matt, catching him off guard. She hurtled the snowballs at top speed, all of them colliding with Matt.  
“Shit!” He cried, and armed with snowballs, Jessica tackled the boy to the ground. She laughed merrily as she brought the snowballs together and crushed them above Matt's face, all of the snow falling down to cloak his features.  
“Aw Jess.” He groaned, struggling to get the girl off. It was pretty hard with, you know, the obnoxious amount of snow in his eyes and mouth. But he was able to roll over, with him being on top of her, all the snow stuck to his face falling onto her instead.  
“Darn you and your muscles!” Jessica cried as he moved her face from side to side to get all the snow off, breathing heavily from the intense snowball fight. Matt laughed happily from on top.  
“And the winner is Matthew the King! All hail me!” He tried to make a trumpet like noise with his voice, but failed miserably, eliciting a giggle from Jessica.  
“Good game, good game. I accept defeat.” Jessica chuckled, laying against the snow. She hadn't realized until now that Matt was just a few feet away from her, his face hovering over her own. “Matt...” She hadn't meant for the name to escape her lips.  
“Huh? What did you say?” The noise of a new cable car coming up cut him off, and he got up from off of Jessica, reaching a hand out for the girl.  
She grabbed it gratefully, nodding to him as she walked over to see who was coming.  
“Fuck it's Mike!” Jessica said worriedly, brushing all the snow off of her revealing she had just partaken in a snowball war.  
“So...?” Matt mumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets, confused by her sudden change in persona. Before he could say anything more, Jessica twirled around and began pushing him to where the trail to the lodge was. “Whoa, what's up?”  
“You gotta get out of here! Mike's coming!” Jessica said, looking back to see if the cable car had gotten to the top yet. She wanted to make a good impression for her new boyfriend, obviously, and didn't need Matt ruining it.  
“Oh...Oh!” Matt said in realization, before laughing loudly. “You just want to impress Mikey Wikey, huh? How cute!” He laughed louder as Jessica scowled.  
“Don't ruin this for me Matt! Now shoo!” Jessica ordered dismissively, scurrying back to her spot on the bench, fixing her hair before she sat down and grabbed her phone, trying to act interested in something.  
Matt sighed and shook his head, scratching the back of his neck. He grabbed his luggage and set off, he would just say hello to Mike later.  
He walked for a few minutes, coming across a bridge on the way. Waves of nostalgia coursed through his body at the sight of the falling snow and the sounds of the wilderness, his earlier worries quickly disappearing to be replaced with a sense of calmness.  
Matt walked a little bit longer until he noticed somebody looking through a telescope near the lodge. When he got a better look, he realized that it was Ashley off all people. The girls lips were parted in thought, clearly confused, and intrigued, by what she was seeing.  
He set the luggage down and crept silently behind her, realizing this would be another easy scare for him.  
“BOO!” He yelled, grabbing her from behind. Ashley screamed at the top of her lungs, struggling wildly before Matt let go, laughing too hard to get proper grip.  
The blond spun around angrily, a terrified look on her face as she narrowed her eyes at Matt in annoyance. Her foot was tapping impatiently against the floor, showing how agitated she really was.  
“What the hell Matt? You really scared me!” Ashley barked, Matt's laughter dying down guiltily. “God...” She put a hand on her forehead, trying to force her heart-rate down fearfully.  
Matt frowned and tried to place a hand on her shoulder, but the girl swatted it away. Classic Ashley.  
“I'm really sorry Ash, I didn't mean to scare you that bad.” He admitted. “Forgot that you frightened so easily. Feel like we haven't talked in a while.” Matt ducked his head apologetically. Ashley sighed, and moved in to give a boy a hug.  
“Nah, I overreacted. It's good to see you too Matthew.” She said happily, pulling away after a few moments. Before he could say anything back, she bobbed her head towards the telescope, silently motioning for him to take a look through the telescope.  
He nodded and side stepped around her, ducking down so he could get a better look. The way it was positioned made him immediately spot two people hugging in the middle of a plethora of trees that could hide them from everybody.  
“Emily and Mike? Didn't they breakup?” Matt asked in confusion, continuing to glance to see if he could catch anything further.  
“Yeah, I thought they did. Mike's dating Jessica anyways.” Ashley agreed, her thoughts racing on what exactly the two were doing. “Maybe they were just healing old wounds? Their breakup was pretty messy.” Ashley reminded the boy, who hummed in agreement.  
“Best not to jump to conclusions. I'll ask Mike about it later.” Matt decided, pulling away from the telescope, hoping that it was nothing more then a simple reconciliation. If not, Jessica would be heartbroken, and Matt was not okay with that.  
He picked up his luggage and looked back at Ashley.  
“Do you want to come with me to the lodge, or would you rather spy on the dynamic duo?” Matt asked, smiling lightly. Ashley pondered the thought for a few moments, and then decided to follow.  
“Yeah, I'm done here.” Ashley admitted, walking down next to Matt. “It would be nice to catch up, I'm pretty sure I was the first one here so we have plenty of time.”  
The two chatted freely for a bit, Matt asking if Ashley was still interested in becoming an author. After spawning that question, Ashley began spewing out words like rapid-fire, telling Matt of all the things she wanted to write about and read about. Even though it had been a while, the girl hadn't changed a bit.  
The events from last year made him lose some of his valuable relationships. Ashley being one of them. Maybe it was God trying to tell him something.  
“So how's football, Captain America?” Ashley asked, giggling. Matt shrugged, his luggage in his right hand, his free hand in one of his pockets.  
“It's good I think. You know, since my grades aren't all that great, I have really been relying on football to get me to at least a decent university. I don't know if my pops would be too proud, but as long as I can live the dream, I think I'll be fine.” Matt admitted.  
“Aw, how heartwarming.” Ashley chirped. Matt laughed in response, shaking his head.  
“I wouldn't use the same term, I think.” Matt replied, and the two laughed, their feet sinking slightly into the snow before they took another step. Ashley's cheeks were rosy from the cold by this point, but she didn't seem too cold. “Now, to the more interesting topics, how are you and Sam?” Matt wriggled his eyebrow.  
Ashley blushed fiercely and averted her eyes, and fingers wrapping around one another anxiously.  
“What's that supposed to mean?” Ashley murmured. Matt held up a hand to his ear, cupping it around it as he leaned closer to Ashley.  
“Huh? Pardon me? Can you repeat that?” Matt asked, playing around with the girl as he spoke obnoxiously loud, biting his tongue so he wouldn't laugh.  
The girl pouted and crossed her hands over one another.  
“Jerk...” She muttered. “Well, have you seen Chris and Josh?” Ashley was trying to change the subject, obviously, but Matt decided to let her go.  
“Yeah. They're so gay man.” Matt laughed, Ashley laughing along with him. “They just need to confess their love and write a book about it already.”  
“Um, you mean, I'm going to write the book about it.” Ashley interrupted. Matt chuckled lightly, patting the girl on the back encouragingly.  
“Good work. You're going to go far kid.” Matt spoke with a coach like voice, causing Ashley to roll her eyes.  
“We're the same age.”  
“Whatever.” Two of them continued to talk until they arrived at the lodge. When they realized nobody was there Matt walked up to the door, placing his hand on the handle with the intention of opening it.  
Well that didn't happen.  
“The hell...?” Matt muttered as the door didn't budge. Ashley peered over his shoulder, trying to get a better look.  
“What's wrong?” She asked, a worried tone in her voice. Matt shook his head, trying to force the door open for a second time, before he realized there was no use.  
“I think it's frozen shut.” Matt admitted. Ashley groaned and took a seat on the steps, placing her chin on her palm in defeat.  
“Great, I'm freezing.” Ashley shivered. Matt laughed, taking a seat next to her.  
“Well, if you want, we can generate body heat.” Matt winked, laughing his head off when Ashley grimaced, turning her away from him.  
“Not with you.” Ashley retorted, huffing slightly.  
“...So with Sam?”  
“SHUT UP!” Matt laughed at the girl's reaction, clutching his sides painfully, his laughter filling up the winter night. Ashley fumed as she crossed her hands over one another.  
They waited for a few minutes at the lodge, Matt teasing Ashley all the while, laughing at her hilarious reactions until he had decided he had picked on him enough for one day.  
They talked aimlessly when Chris, Sam, and the man of the hour, Joshua, appeared. They were talking with one another, only noticing Matt's and Ashley's presence after a moment.  
Well, Matt had noticed Sam had noticed Ashley far before the the other morons.  
“Hey Ash!” Sam waved to the girl. Ashley ran over to the girl and hugged her, Sam laughing happily as she hugged back.  
“Sam! You're so slow.” Ashley pouted as she pulled away. “I was stuck here with Matt who decided that bullying me would be a fun pass time.” Ashley said innocently, giving Matt a smirk when she was out of Sam's eyesight.  
That sneaky devil. Matt thought, inwardly applauding her.  
“And what does that mean, Matthew?” Sam asked, crossing her hands over one another, Ashley hiding behind her in false fear. Matt rolled his eyes, but chuckled lightly.  
“It's good to see you too Samantha.” He replied. She chuckled lightly, nodding in agreement.  
“Good to see you.” Chris and Josh used the opportunity to approach to door, Chris moving to the handle first, wanting to get out of the freezing cold.  
“Here goes nothing.” He muttered as he tried to open the door. After there was no response, he pushed against it willfully, hoping it would open this time. He quickly found himself getting frustrated, and tried to force it open one final time, realizing there was no given with this door. “It's not opening.” Chris said simply, almost comically so.  
Josh shakes his head, holding a key in his hand. “It's because it's locked, dumb-ass.” He didn't know Matt's frown from a few feet away and Ashley's chuckling. “Oh, but it is frozen.” Matt smirked at Ashley which shut her right up.  
“Just our luck.” Chris muttered, rubbing his hands against his arms to get warm. “Maybe we can just break in? Ya know, just give it a good...one two.” Josh laughed, nodding in agreement as he patted Chris on the back, causing Chris to cough loudly.  
“Good thinking buddy, I knew those glasses made you a little bit smarter.” Josh joked, turning to face the remaining three. “Okay boys and girls, Chris and I are going to try and break in to the good old Washington lodge!” Josh announced as he walked off of the steps, looping around the corner.  
Chris followed him, turning around with a jokingly cautious look on his face. “We don't know what the terrors that lie there could be, so remember to clap, because it powers us up!” And with that comment, Chris jogged after Josh, leaving Sam, Matt, and Ashley laughing.  
“Chris hasn't changed a bit.” Matt said. Sam took a spot next to Ashley a few steps above him, nodding in agreement.  
“Yep, and you haven't missed much in the luxury life of Josh.” She laughed, leaning against the railings, Ashley picking at snow nervously beside the girl. Ashley, you're so obvious. Matt thought, grinning.  
“So, how are you Sam? Still a total pacifist?” Matt asked, leaning his back against the railing, laying his legs against the steps comfortably.  
“Don't tell me you thought it was temporary. Yeah, I'm just same ol' Sam, living the dream.” Matt laughed at this one, Ashley giggling softly from the side, as if laughing too loud would trigger an earthquake.  
“And Ashley still wants to be a writer, I was talking about it with her earlier.” Matt inwardly laughed as Ashley's eyes went wide from the topic switching to her. Sam nodded in agreement, looking over at Ashley happily, the girl becoming red under her gaze.  
“Yeah, I've read a few of her drabbles here and there. You're better then you give yourself credit for Ash.” Sam grinned. Ashley nodded slowly, smiling.  
“Thanks Sam.” Matt watched as Ashley switched from socially inept to active in a matter of moments, and decided to stay out of the two's conversation. He leaned his head back against the railing, closing his eyes in thought.  
The opening of the front door caused him to open his eyes as he looked up to see Chris at the door.  
“Ta da!” Chris waved his hands in a magical fashion, before he bowed dramatically. “Magic Chris at your service.” Sam and Ashley clapped while Matt shook his head, standing up from his spot.  
Josh walked around the corner, clapping as loudly as Sam and Ashley.  
“Don't forget his lovely assistant, Mr. Washington!” Joshua announced, bowing lowly as well. Matt decided to clap this time, mostly out of pity since nobody else was.  
Sam started booing jokingly, causing Josh to scowl, but he shook it off a grin, signaling he was just joking. Everybody entered the lodge together, Sam and Ashley taking a spot on the sofa.  
“Looks pretty good up here.” Matt admitted as he set his luggage on the ground, noticing it was still rather cold inside, which was to be expected. Sam shrugged.  
“Well, it looks the same as the last time we were here.” Sam added. Ashley rubbed her hands against her own shoulders, trying to generate some heat.  
“You know, it's still pretty cold, but not as bad as it was out there.” Ashley said. Josh took that as a signal to get a fire started, for he walked over to the fireplace.  
“I'm going to start a fire, for the lovely Ash of course. Chris you want to help?” Josh asked. Chris nodded, which everybody expected, and he followed Josh as the two got started.  
Matt took his own spot on a seat, watching Emily walk in through the front door.  
“Hey Em!” He greeted, waving to his good friend. Emily was the person who he talked to the most during the aftermath of the Hannah and Beth disappearance. Sure, she was kind of a bitch, but that was really only on the outside. Though it did get significantly worse after her breakup with Mike.  
“Matt,” Emily placed her hands on her hips, a disapproving look on her face. “What happened to helping me with my luggage, huh?” A blank expression appeared on Matt's face before he made a sound of realization, ignoring Sam's and Ashley's giggling in the background.  
“Oh shit...” He muttered, scratching his head in embarrassment.  
“Oh shit is right. You owe me.” Emily said harshly, but a smile appeared on her face as she set down her own luggage, looking around the now slightly warmer lodge. “Good to see you guys too.” Emily nodded towards the two sitting on the couch along with the boys setting up the fire.  
“Good to see you too Em.” Sam replied, smiling warmly. Emily took a spot next to Matt, and the two chatter aimlessly for a few minutes while Sam and Ashley talked.  
“I saw you with Mike earlier.” Matt admitted, leaning back against his seat, wondering how he should go about this. Emily arched an eyebrow.  
“And what do you mean by that?” She asked dangerously. Matt shook his hands, trying to do damage control. That was a stupid comment.  
“I mean that you guys were hugging earlier, just wanted to ask what it was about is all.” Matt said calmly. Emily still looked unsure, but sighed.  
“That's a good question. It was just a sort of reconciliation, I think.” Emily sighed for the second time, looking tired way too early into the night.  
“You never know with Mike.” Mike was a nice guy, but had a poor track record when it came to women. He was good with them, good talk with them, treated them right for a bit, but always ended up fluttering on by to somebody else. Commitment issues. Matt was sure of it. “Anyways, tonight's the night we party and don't give a crap about Mike's poor life choices.” Matt grinned.  
Emily smiled as well, not being able to help it. Matt's grin was rather infectious, she would know, it got her through a lot of shitty times.  
“Matt, I...” Emily was cut off when two people entered lodge, the remaining two guests as Blackwood Pines.  
“The king is here! Everybody stand and cheer!” Mike called out, his hands in the air. Jessica walked in behind him, her own hand raised in the air.  
“It's time to get this party started.” Jessica continued obnoxiously, the two louder people joining the whole group. Everybody greeted them, Jessica taking a seat on the other end of the sofa Sam and Ashley were currently sitting on. Mike walked over to Josh, giving the boy his greeting before he began his walk back over to Jessica.  
“Hey Mike, haven't seen you in a while.” Matt greeted with a smile. Mike smiled in response. The two boys had become pretty good friends since the incident, both being on the football team required them actually speaking to one another anyways. They weren't super tight, but they were good friends.  
“Matty, good to see you too buddy. How was the walk up?” Mike asked as he took his seat next to Jessica, the girl snuggling right into his arms.  
It bothered Matt slightly, but he didn't have a clue as to why. And Emily definitely wasn't happy with it either, since her breathing was quickening and her hands balled into fists. Oh shit.  
“Uneventful. Ran into Ashley and we looked at stupid stuff before coming up. Not to mention I scared the living crap out of her.” Matt decided to leave out the part with Jessica, and the girl smiled gratefully at him from across the room.  
Emily's fists got tighter.  
Ashley made a sound of protest. “It was awful. You know, you really scared me Matthew!” Ashley complained, a pouting look on her face. Sam laughed along with Matt.  
“Come on Ash, just making memories.” Matt replied with a smile and a wink, causing the girl to growl further.  
“Okay Matt, that's enough. Too much more and Ashley will explode.” Sam said, shaking her head humorlessly at poor Ashley's teasing. The girl currently being teased sighed, leaning back against the couch.  
Matt and Emily continued to talk, but Matt felt Emily's eyes flickering over to where Jessica and Mike were 'snuggling'. More or less it was full out sex. Okay, so maybe Matt was over-exaggerating, but he definitely knew that Emily was extremely bother by it.  
“Oh my God, that is too gross.” Emily finally commented, and Matt inwardly sighed, knowing that the bomb had erupted and he had been to late to stop it.  
“Fuck...” He muttered silently as Emily stood up, crossing her hands over one another as she glared at Jessica. At least the two had stopped making out and making weird noises or else it would be a very interesting night.  
“Listen, I'm not here to enter your territory, so you don't have to fuck in front of me every time I see you guys.” Emily spat bitterly. Matt stood up from his own seat, reaching over to grab Emily's hand.  
“Em, it's fine. Let's just go.” He said quietly, hoping the girl would hear him. Thankfully, she didn't pull away, which must have meant something.  
Jessica's eyes widened as she saw Emily get surprisingly calmer as Matt held her hand. They weren't dating, right? No, of course not, Matt had told her that. For some reason, Matt holding Emily's hand had pissed her off more then the girl getting overly-jealous for the thousandth time.  
“Excuse me, did you say something?” Jess growled, rising from her own spot next to Mike on the sofa to get closer to Emily. She was ready to throw down, she was not shitting around this time.  
“What? Did you not hear me? Or is your sluttiness to loud?” Emily replied, almost in a jokingly cruel manner. Jessica snorted, crossing her hands over one another as she looked back at Mike for reassurance.  
“Guess somebodies upset they didn't make the cut.” Jessica laughed, walking closer to Emily. Matt thought it was too close for something not to go down.  
“Yeah, it's all a big cat call with that dreamboat. Congratulations, you're top cow!” Emily clapped, a looking of irritation on her face. Jessica shook her head, and Mike sat on the couch, finding this fight overwhelmingly funny.  
“Can't really call the Homecoming Queen a cow, can you?” Jessica was prepared to rub in what she got, even if it involved a low, and sort of stupid card like Homecoming.  
Matt shook his head, seeing that Mike wasn't going to be doing anything any time soon. He stepped in between of the two girls, holding each one of his hands out to one of them defensively, signaling they should both stop.  
He looked towards Emily, giving her a pleading look.  
“Please Em, can we stop?” Matt begged. Emily looked like she was going to falter for a few moments, before Jessica cut in, just like she always does.  
“Stay out of it you dumb oaf!” Jessica yelled, causing Matt to visibly grimace. Emily pushed passed him, becoming more threatening then before.  
“Hey watch it!” Emily spat. Jessica laughed.  
“What? You're the only one who can put him down? Nobody else can play with your toys?” Jessica's tone was condescending and ruthless, as if she knew something nobody else did. Emily grunted, before her eyes widened in realization. She quickly narrowed them again, pretending like nothing happened.  
“Oh I see what the problem is here.” It was Emily's turn to be condescending as she walked circles around Jessica, who looked at her with a confused expression.  
“Yeah, and what is that bitch?” Jessica asked, holding her ground, not sure where Emily was going with this one.  
The girl shrugged, looking away before shrugging again. “Oh, I don't know,” She paused, looking at Jessica with a fake thinking expression. “I just didn't know that maybe you wanted a turn with my toys Jessica.” Emily said that almost in a whisper, so that Mike and Matt couldn't exactly hear what she was saying.  
Jessica took a step back at the accusation, before becoming furious with the girl. “Whatever,” She brushed off, just wanting to take a seat next to Mike. Emily stifled a laugh, but not successfully, provoking Jessica further. “I don't give two fucks about what you think.” Jessica sat back in her seat with Mike, snuggling right back into him with a smirk painted across her face. Emily rolled her eyes.  
“At least I can think. 4.0 honor roll bitch!” As quickly as Jessica had sat down, she stood right back up, leaving Mike with a pissed off look on his face.  
“Who needs grades when you have all the natural assets you need?” Jessica asked, moving in a specific way that rubbed off her, eh, assets.  
“Oh please.”  
“You couldn't buy moldy bread with your skanky ass.” Mike chuckled lightly at this one, and Matt had to bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing as well. Merely because the insult was so awful.  
“Are you serious? Do you think that's insulting?” It was like Emily had read Matt's thoughts, and he inwardly applauded her. Jessica seemed to be running out of ideas, for she turned back to Mike and pointed at Emily angrily.  
“Do you hear this girl? Bitch is on crack or some shit.” Matt decided to intervene for a second time, digesting that Mike really wasn't going to do anything useful at this point in time.  
“Okay, that's enough!” Matt's voice echoed throughout the lodge, attracting everybody's attention easily. “Listen, we're supposed to be here for a reason, okay? And that's to have fun, just like Josh said. We don't need to ruin the night with stupid cat fights. You guys are better then this, really.” Everyone stayed quiet after this, Josh stepping up behind Matt, shooting the boy a grateful smile.  
“Matt's right, there's no reason to fight like this, okay guys. What I wanted is for us to have a good time. So let's just settle down, and cozy around the fire.” Josh said in a finalizing tone, everybody nodding in agreement. “Good work Matty, you know how to calm the ladies.” Josh winked, causing Matt to roll his eyes.  
“I wish.” He replied, taking his seat back on the couch, thankful that everything was over with.  
Emily shook her head in frustration, just needing to cool off.  
“I'm going to take a bath.” Emily said as she jogged up the stairs, heading into the bathroom and slamming the door behind her.  
“Em!” Matt called after the girl, sighing when he heard the slamming door. He fell back into his seat, wiping his forehead, already feeling way to exhausted.  
“Good, that bitch is gone.” Jessica muttered. Matt rolled his eyes, Jessica scowling when she noticed. Dammit, now Matt's mad at me.  
Wait, why the hell do I care?  
“Uh, Josh. Do you still have the key to that guest cabin? Me and Sam were wondering if we could check it out.” Ashley's question came out of the blue, her and Sam staying out of the whole fight. He looked at the two for a few moments, before smiling in that Josh way.  
“Yeah, sure.” He said in a sexual tone, making Matt want to laugh at Ashley's face and Sam's obliviousness. He came back with the key and threw it two the girls, who left the house with a wave goodbye, leaving the rest with the now started fire.  
“Aw fuck!” Chris cried as he searched through his bag. Josh walked over, hovering over Chris to see what exactly the problem was.  
“What's up bud?” He asked, trying to get a peek into Chris' bag. Chris groaned, shaking his head at himself in disappointment.  
“My phone's missing. I must have left it on the bench when I came up here with Sam.” Chris thought back, hoping that he was right in that assumption.  
Josh laughed, finding it all too funny as he opened the front door, motioning for Chris to leave.  
“We'll find it together. Shouldn't take too long, I think.” Josh suggested. Chris smiled gratefully.  
“Awesome, thanks Josh.” Chris walked out of the door.  
“Okay guys, we'll be back in a few.” Josh called out as he closed the door behind him, unknowingly-actually, knowing Josh, he probably knew exactly what he was doing-left Matt with the lovely couple.  
Thankfully, Emily came down from upstairs to break the awkward tension. Actually, it only made it worse, but Matt felt better with somebody other then people who wanted to make out every five seconds.  
“Hey Matt? Is Josh still here?” Emily asked as she walked down the steps, not acknowledging Jessica's presence. Matt shook his head, much to the girl's dismay. “Dammit.”  
“What's up?” He asked curiously. She sighed, shaking her head, cursing her misfortune.  
“The hot water isn't working.” She explained.  
This was when Mike, surprisingly, made his entrance. He stood up from the sofa and walked over to Emily, a friendly grin painted across his face. He probably just wanted to apologize for Jessica's favor. Or do damage control. Probably a mixture of both.  
“Oh, I know where the boiler room is. I can take you there and we can get the hot water turned on.” Mike explained. When Emily gave him a questioning look-which was threatening along with the death glares he was receiving from Jessica-he shook his hands. “Don't worry, I'm not pulling anything stupid. Just want to get this over with.” He admitted.  
Emily and Matt exchanged looks. When Matt gave her a look of approval, she shook her head, but complied.  
“Okay, but make it quick. You probably want to get back to sucking face with Goldilocks A.S.A.P.” The comment merely made Mike laugh, but Jessica didn't feel the same way.  
But before she could say anything, Matt cut her off.  
“How about Jess and I go looking for something to do? Maybe there's something interesting.” Matt suggested. Mike game him a thumbs up, happy with the idea.  
“Yeah, there's always something good in a creepy old lodge. Have fun.” Mike waved, winking at Jessica who blew a kiss in return.  
Matt waved at Emily, mouthing for her to call for him if she needed anything. She nodded and turned away, following Mike down to the boiler room.  
“Your girlfriend better not pull anything dirty or I swear to God Matt.” Jessica growled as Matt began searching around the lodge, deciding to head upstairs first, looking for some kind of games room or something.  
“First of all, she's not my girlfriend. Second of all, why are you being such a bitch?” Matt asked, opening a door that revealed a guest room. He decided he might as well search it, Jessica taking a seat on the bed. He quickly realized this was going to be a one man effort, unfortunately.  
“Well, I don't know, maybe because she's got an obsession with my boyfriend?” Jessica wondered bitterly. Matt sighed, really not wanting to talk about it, but knowing there was no way to tell Jess to politely shut up or else she would get mad at him.  
“Well, look at things in her shoes. She was dumped by her player boyfriend for some hot chick. It's got to be pretty rough.” Matt said, almost carelessly, too tired to watch over his words too carefully. He didn't even notice Jessica blush lightly at his words, before she forced the heat down, mentally kicking herself for blushing over something so stupid. Well, he's right. I am hot.  
“Whatever...” She trailed off, kicking her feet lightly against the bed post as Matt continued to search. When he came up with nothing, he left the room, Jessica scrambling to catch up.  
“Wait!” She called after him, to see him waiting in the hall with an amused look on his face.  
“What? I wasn't going to go hop off a cliff or something. You scared?” Matt chuckled, continuing down the hallway, a now irritated Jessica behind him. She snorted.  
“Ha! No, of course not. There's nothing scary about this lodge.” Jessica brushed the boy off. She really wasn't scared at all. Really. She wasn't Ashley. Just because they were both blond didn't mean she was just as scared.  
“Whatever you say...” Matt grinned, walking into another room, fishing through it for anything interesting. After a few moments, Jessica was about to start a conversation when Matt made a noise of approval.  
“What?” She asked curiously, hovering over him. In his hands was a spirit board, one of those really stupid cheaply made ones that Jessica knew were totally fake. “Oh, that stupid thing?” Jessica muttered, rolling her eyes in disinterest, even though she really was more curious then Matt.  
“Oh don't try me Jessica. I know you're just as interested as me.” Jessica scowled. 'How can this guy read my thoughts? Fucking creepy if you ask me.' She sighed as she stood up.  
“Well, I guess this is as good as it gets.” Jessica said, looking at a closet when she noticed something that looked like a mask. She pulled it out, and at a closer look, it was actually rather terrifying. That in turn gave her a good idea. “Matt, put this on.” Jessica said, handing him the mask.  
Matt looked at the mask with a look of confusion, but grabbed it reluctantly. He held it closer to his face, before pulling it away with a grimace.  
“Gross. Smells like road kill.” He muttered in disgust. Jessica rolled her eyes, motioning for him to continue.  
“Don't be a pussy.” She chastised. Hesitantly, he placed the mask on, Jessica grinning when he saw what he looked like.  
“Perfect. You look absolutely horrifying.” Jessica grinned, rubbing her hands together expectantly. Matt pulled it off after a few seconds, giving the girl a questioning look.  
“Well, thanks for the compliment.” He huffed, holding the spirit board in one hand and the mask in the other. Jessica shook her head, smiling.  
“No problem, no problem. Now, here's the plan...”


	2. As If It Were Ever That Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spirit talking and love watching wasn't on Matt's resume. Or anyone's really, to be frank.

|Until Dawn-The True Version Part 2|  
Description: Spirit talking and love watching wasn't on Matt's resume.

“And presto! The boiler is fixed!” Mike declared, Emily looking at it approvingly.   
“Wow, I'm shocked. You did this pretty quickly.” Emily admitted. Mike shook his head, placing his hands on his hip, looking away distantly with a dramatic look.   
“Don't count me out, Em. I'm really quite good at everything.” Emily rolled her eyes, laughing lightly as she prepared to get upstairs, happy that things weren't unbearable between Mike and herself anymore. The reconciliation had really worked. “You know, Em...”   
“AH!” Emily screamed, running backwards, nearly slamming into Mike. There before them stood a rather tall man, holding a baseball bat, adorned in a mask and a black robe. He immediately chased after Mike and Emily, the two scrambling around the basement, fearing coursing through their veins.   
Shit, shit, shit, shit. Emily thought as she tried to think of a way to loop around the maniac so she could run back upstairs. When they got to a certain room, she was able to circle around a table and run past him, Mike right in front of them.   
They darted frantically up the stairs, Mike nearly losing his footing. He was able to catch himself, and they both ran upstairs to the living room, prepared to dart right out of the lodge and call for help.   
“Wait! Wait guys it's me! Matt!” Matt yelled after them, starting to think that his initial instinct was right and that this wasn't such a good idea. He took of the mask and dropped the baseball bat on the floor, holding his arms up like a criminal caught in police fire.   
Well, with the death glares he received from Emily, that's really what it felt like.   
Thankfully, Mike's loud laughing eased the tension as he walked over and patted Matt on the back approvingly, all fear being chased away when he realized it was merely just Matt pulling prank.   
“Nice one dude. I'm assuming Jessica came up with it?” Mike asked. Matt merely nodded hesitantly, still horrified by what Emily's response would be.   
As if on cue, Jessica stepped out from where she was hiding, inwardly scolding herself for not recording the hilarious events. She clapped loudly, walking over to Matt to pat him on the back.   
“Good work, Matty. I'm impressed.” Jessica admitted. Matt smiled in response while Emily snickered in the background. “What's so funny Emily?” Jessica asked, over-sweetly as she narrowed her eyes at Emily.   
“Whatever. I'm taking my bath.” She muttered, jogging up the stairs, anxious to get bath to her bath. Jessica sighed in relief, happy that the girl was finally gone.   
“Alright girls,” Mike said, clutching the spirit board. Matt rolled his eyes after being called a female. “Let's go talk to some ghosts, why don't we?” Jessica cheered in response, clutching onto Mike's arm as the duo walked upstairs, leaving Matt at the bottom of the steps.   
“How did I get myself into this situation?” Matt mumbled under his breath, wishing he had gone to the guest cabin with Sam or Ashley. Actually, that probably would have made him feel like he was intruding as well.   
Maybe he should have followed Josh and Chris? Nope, he would still be the ignored third wheel most likely. He should have dragged Emily somewhere with him so he wouldn't be alone...  
“Matt are you coming?” Jessica called from upstairs, wondering what was taking the boy so long. He hummed in response, and began his plight up the stairs, hoping this evening wouldn't be too love filled for his single mind.   
They all gathered in the room next to where Emily currently bathing. Matt, admittedly, was kind of looking forward to it. Talking to ghosts was on his bucket list, you could say. Of course, it was an oddity to him why the group of three were communing with ghosts on a mountain cut off from the outside world.   
Well, it wasn't like anything could go wrong.   
Matt took a seat to the right of Mike, whose chair was pulled up extremely close to Jessica's. He shuddered, hoping they weren't doing anything funny under the table as he set up the spirit board, starting to think that this was a bad idea.   
After everything was done, he took a deep breath, placing his hand on the pointer. He looked at the duo expectantly, only to realize that they were to enveloped into each other to give Matt the time of day.  
“Hey love birds! Are we going to play or not?” Matt asked, wondering whether to just leave them alone or not. Jessica snapped back to reality, an apologetic look on her face as she nodded eagerly, placing her hand on the pointer so that their fingers were touching.   
Matt knew that was going to happen, so it didn't bother him. Plus, just because Jessica was of the female gender didn't mean he had to have hormonal problems every time she touched him. But, oddly enough, it was kind of nice.   
Jessica was on the opposite end of the spectrum. She had to force her blush down so that Mike wouldn't see. The hell is wrong with me?   
Mike put his hand on, he and Jessica looking at Matt as if he knew what he was doing. When he shrugged in response, Jessica rolled her eyes and decided to take charge.   
“Is anyone out there?” Jessica asked, starting off without anybody else's input. When nothing happened, as she expected, she was slightly disappointed. “What a let down...”   
Right as the words came out of her mouth, the pointer jeered over to the 'H', before wildly moving over to the 'E', eventually spelling out the word 'HELP'.   
“Ha-ha, really funny guys.” Jessica laughed, shaking her head at the pathetic display. But when the boys both gave her blank looks, she stopped laughing. “Guys, seriously, I'm not falling for it.”   
“Listen Jess, I have better things to do with my time then play with a fake spirit board. Why would I try to fake this?” Mike asked as if it was obvious it hadn't been him. Matt nodded along with him, signaling he hadn't been the one who moved the pointer.   
“I didn't do it. Just ask it another question.” Matt suggested. Jessica nodded, clearing her throat as her eyes darted back over the the pointer.   
“Uh...Who needs help?” Jessica spoke with an unsure tone, watching the other boys carefully to see if they were going to move. The pointer moved more robotically this time, eventually spelling out a new word.   
“Sister? What the fuck?” Mike muttered, exchanging looks with Matt, who looked just as put off.   
“Guys, maybe this is a bad idea.” Matt mumbled, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. “This better not be some stupid joke you two are pulling on me.” That could have been a very real possibility, in Matt's eyes. Why not pick on the odd one out? Especially with the fact that Mike and Jessica were in a relationship and both loved a good scare or joke.   
“Are you kidding me?” Jessica rolled her eyes, annoyed that Matt thought they were messing around with him. She was pretty scared as well. “I think we should continue. How about you Mike?” Jessica asked her boyfriend, deciding to let him be the swing vote.   
He nodded firmly. “Let's continue, definitely.” An eerie feeling filled the room after the words left his mouth, as if the spirit they were talking to right now was hovering around them, grasping onto bits and pieces of their conversation. Would the ghost be able to understand the human tongue anymore?   
Jessica swallowed anxiously, licking her lips afterwards. “Who are you?” Jessica asked vaguely, hoping something useful would come up.   
“Here we go again...” Matt muttered under his breath as the pointer moved again this time, returning back to its original craze. The pointer first moved to the 'H', and then moved to 'A', and immediately Jessica knew where this whole thing was going. “Holy fucking shit.” Matt swore when he saw the name spelled out.   
“Hannah?” Mike said the name warily, fear bubbling up in his stomach. It was far quicker for Jessica, an inhuman feeling spreading throughout her body like wildfire, catching on to different bones and organs.   
“Okay guys, this isn't fucking funny anymore.” Matt's tone rose in a mixture of fear and anger. This wasn't a funny joke;the punchline was all wrong and it left Matt feeling raw. It was far worse since this was the lodge, this was Blackwood Pines, where Hannah had disappeared.   
“Listen Matt, I don't know why you've come to some stupid ass conclusion that we are messing around, but we're fucking not!” Jessica barked, quickly getting irritated with Matt's constant accusations. Can't believe I thought I liked this guy...WAIT WHAT THE FUCK?!  
Jessica shook her head fiercely, mentally berating her for thinking such stupid things like that. Matt was nothing more then a friend, and right now, he was being a douche bag. She needed to get angry, get pumped, get Mike-the boy she really liked-to step in.   
“Seriously, we have no reason to fuck around you. Now Jessica, ask what happened to her.” Mike said in a pleading tone, clearly looking for closure. Jessica wasn't sure if a spirit board was the place to find it.   
But she complied. “Hannah, how did you die?” Jessica's voice slightly wavered throughout the statement, feeling the guilt from last year washing over her again. It was her fault Hannah was dead. Her fault.   
Matt noticed the waver in Jessica's voice, and also noticed that Mike had ultimately ignored it. Mike was always a boy who was afraid of committing to somebody, but was he really this afraid?   
Suddenly the pointer flew off of the table, and Matt had had enough. He rose from the table, eliciting a slight squeal from Jessica who was frightened by the turn of events, and stormed out of the room. He didn't care if it was a joke or not. He just needed a breather.   
“Wait Matt!” Jessica rose up from her seat, chasing after the boy, not sure if she was either worried or angry with him.   
Mike rose up afterwards, reaching his hand out. “Jess!” He called after the girl, but it was no use, she was already chasing after the boy.   
Mike shook his head in defeat, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he looked at the spirit board again.   
“Library...” He remembered. Those were the words that had been spelled out before the pointer had somehow flown right off of the table, crashing into the ground before seemingly disappearing into thin air. It most likely didn't, but he couldn't find it now. “This is crazy.”   
Mike sighed and walked out of the room, not sure where Matt or Jessica had went. He hope they didn't get too far, and walked down the stairs at an easy pace, knowing that Matt wouldn't pull anything too reckless and would reel Jessica back in if she got too crazy.   
“Jess! Jess!” He called out, hoping the worry in his voice wasn't evident as he searched around for the girl, until he noticed that some sort of...secret passage had opened up next to the bookshelf. Whatever it was, it hadn't been there before. “Well, here goes nothing...” Mike muttered as he walked in, hoping to find his girlfriend sooner then later. 

Matt and Jessica walked through the secret passage, Mike quickly leaving their minds as the curiosity of the new part of the lodge filled their minds. Who the hell has a secret passage in their lodge?   
The duo had found it randomly. Jessica was trailing Matt, yelling for him to come back, in which Matt defied. He ended up stumbling and knocking into a bookcase, some of the books crashing down on him. Jessica had spotted a button that had been hidden behind them, and had, expectantly, immediately pushed it.   
That revealed the strange new area that frightened the two friends to no end. But, something about it pulled them in, made them feel like they needed to go in. So they did, Matt leading the way with Jessica trailing slightly behind.   
“God this is creepy.” Jessica mumbled, not realizing Matt had stopped until she bumped into him. She stumbled slightly, but caught herself, looking at Matt's back angrily. “Hey, what's the big idea?” She asked, sidestepping around him too see he was currently holding a picture in his hands.   
“Hannah and Beth...” Matt shivered as the names left his mouth, identifying that it was, in fact, the two twins in the sister. The fact that they looked happy and grateful to be alive formed self-hatred in Matt's stomach. He had, indirectly, ripped away their futures. Ripped away their dreams, their hopes, their family.   
They had died too young.   
Flipping around the picture revealed a horrifying note, causing Jessica to flinch away and for Matt to nearly drop the picture.   
“'I will take them and bleed them like pigs, and rip their soft white skin off. Fucking sixteen years. Sixteen years I waited for pretty little Hannah and Beth...” Matt read off, trailing off afterwards, not sure of what to say. After Matt just stayed staring at the note, Jessica started to get worried for the boy, and swatted the picture out of his hands.   
He didn't react though, still staring in the same spot, wondering what exactly could be going on.   
“Matt! Matt!” Jessica shook the boy's shoulders, trying to bring him back to reality, wondering to herself if they were even in reality. She shook her head, shaking away her own thoughts as she continued to shake Matt. “Matt! Matthew!”   
Matt looked up suddenly, his eyes back in focus as he moved away from Jessica so she would stop shaking him.   
“Sorry, just spaced out for a moment there.” Matt mumbled an apology, an eerie feeling following him where ever he went, repeating every word he spoke in his mind. The noises of the lodge echoed, even though it was nothing more then Jessica's breathing. Well, and his own.   
“A moment? More like an hour.” Jessica scowled, shaking her head disapprovingly. Matt sighed, scratching the back of his neck, trying to make sense of the situation.   
“I'm sorry.” Matt said, more genuinely this time as he looked around the secret passage, wanting to now return to the lodge.   
“Whatever, let's go get Mike. I'm getting scared.” Jessica admitted, turning back towards the door, anxious to leave wherever they were. As she walked over, she heard a scream channel through the lodge, bouncing off of the walls before they reached her ears. Her eyes widened, her mouth agape as she recognized the voice immediately. “Mike!” She cried out, getting frantic.   
“Oh shit!” Matt cursed as the door started rumbling. Jessica sprinted over, a small inkling within her telling her that there was a strong possibility that it was Mike trying to get in, trying to get away from something.   
“Jess!” Matt rushed over her as the door opened, and he almost sighed in relief when he thought it was just Mike. But when Jessica suddenly yelped and the door slammed shut, a whole new tremor of terror shook his body as his rush turned out into a crazed dash.   
He slammed his body right into the door, pain eating away at his side as he continued to throw himself into the door, praying it would open soon. Jessica's cries for help were loud and had the clear tone of being terrified.   
Matt stepped away from the door, and with a start, he sprinted towards the door, hurtling himself towards it, breaking through. Immediately he noticed that Jessica was lying on the ground, and look frantically around for the person who had grabbed her.   
Before he could even think a proper thought a fist made contact with his head, knocking him out immediately. His limp body fell to the ground, now battered and bruised from the course of events.   
Matt was knocked out cold, but somehow he could hear Jessica's body slowly be pulled away from him. He had failed. Again. 

Sam walked through the dark woods of Blackwood Pines, Ashley trailed behind her, shivering slightly through the cold. It was a little bit past dark by this point in time, but Sam wasn't scared. It wasn't like there was anything that bad out in the mountains.   
Ashley jogged to catch up with Sam, getting frightened by the whistling of the wind and the symphony of noises coming from the wilderness. Sam chuckled lightly at her friends fear, shaking her head.   
“There's nothing to be afraid of Ash.” Sam said comfortingly, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she looked around herself, feeling calm in the rawness of the environment.   
A deer suddenly darted past the duo, causing Ashley to yelp. Sam merely flinched, being aware that different animals would be surely popping out every once in a while.   
“Why did we choose to go to the guest cabin?” Ashley whimpered, realizing that this wasn't her best decision in the world. Actually, she hadn't even come up with it, it had been Sam.   
Sam shrugged. “Just to escape everything back at the cabin I think.” Sam explained. Ashley nodded.   
“Or, you mean, get away from the Jessica and Emily drama.” Sam nodded firmly in agreement, eliciting a light giggle from Ashley.   
“It'll be nice, just me and you. You can catch me up on all your amazing achievements from the past year.” Sam suggested. Ashley hummed in agreement, now eager to get to the cabin, hoping that her excitement wasn't too obvious.   
But Sam had caught it because, well, Sam was Sam. She was aware of the whole fact that Ashley had a huge crush on her, but she wasn't so sure about how she felt about the whole thing.   
Of course she loved Ashley. The girl was her best friend, she prioritized her above all other things. Her safety was more important then everybody else's. But she had also been having strange feelings about Josh lately, since their friendship had taken quite a turn since the last year.   
And everybody always joked about how Josh and Chris were 'gay for each other', but Sam wasn't sure if it was a joke or reality. Sam really wasn't sure.   
And what were her feelings about Ashley? Were they romantic or merely platonic? Sam couldn't know for sure, yet. She needed to gather more facts.   
“Sam!” Ashley's voice snapped the girl back to reality, who shook her head to get her thoughts back to real life. Sam looked towards her friend, a look of reassurance on her face as she grinned.   
“Sorry, the dream world pulled me away for a few moments.” Sam explained. Ashley looked at her for a few moments, before deducing everything was fine and pulling away.   
After a few more minutes the two finally got to the guest cabin, Sam opening the door. Ashley stumbled in after Sam, eager to get away from the coldness of the outside, even though it was equally as freezing.   
“Ashley, you can take a seat on the couch while I start up the fire place.” Sam offered. Ashley eagerly took it and planted on the couch, feeling pretty tired from the walk there as Sam got started on the fire.   
“Thanks Sam.” Ashley chirped, snuggling into the sofa, watching Sam working away on the fire. Sam waved her hand dismissively in response, getting back to getting the fire ready.   
After a few minutes of waiting, Ashley was joined by Sam on the couch, the fire slowly starting to warm up the cozy cabin. Sam patted on her lap, motioning for Ashley to lay her head there.   
Of course, the blond complied. She got comfortable pretty quickly, and the pair of friends settled into easy conversation, taking about all the things they liked and didn't like about life.   
It was a stupid conversation, but it was a nice one. It had been a long year for Sam, after the passing of Hannah, her best friend. Ashley had been quick to fill the gap, but it still ached.   
Sometimes she wondered what it would be like if the twins hadn't died. Would they be at the lodge right now? Most likely, playing games around the fire. It would be awkward because Mike and Jessica were now dating and Emily would have to cope with it, but it was okay, because Sam would just laugh in the corner with Josh and the twins.   
Sam also wondered if it was better the way things were. She would surely never had become close with Ashley if it were not for that stupid prank. That stupid prank had made Samantha's life do a complete three sixty.   
Ashley's yelp and the sound of broken glass catches Sam off guard. Ashley leaped from where she was snuggled into Sam's lap, looking over at the broken window in horror.   
Sam stood up to get a better look, shocked by the amount of broken glass on the floor. She walked over cautiously, trying to get a better look.   
“What the hell?” She muttered, kneeling down to see the cause of what had broken the glass, frowning when she couldn't locate one.   
“Sam!” Ashley called out to the girl worriedly, and in fear. “How did that window break?” Clearly the question was directed at Sam, who had little to no idea on what was happening.   
But for the sake of Ashley's mental state, she straightened her shoulders and showed no signs of fear, turning around to Ashley with a calm look on her face.   
“Probably one of the guys. Mike and Jess are usually the ones to pull pranks like these.” It had been a total lie, but thinking about it, Sam realized it would actually make sense. She would check the outside to see if they were out there, and then scold them for terrifying Ashley.   
And herself of course.   
Ashley's heart-rate slowed down, and she nodded slowly, accepting that it was a likely possibility. As soon as Sam got close, she latched onto the girl, searching for some type of safety in the now creepy guest cabin.   
Sam comforted the girl, obviously, and then sat her down on the sofa.   
“I'm just going to check outside really quick, okay?” Sam explained, rubbing Ashley's shoulders, hoping the girl would calm down from the sudden scare.   
Ashley made a noise of protest, but when she realized that Sam was going outside no matter what she said, she nodded.   
“Alright, but please be quick.” Ashley begged. Sam nodded in agreement, giving the girl a quick squeeze of assurance before she trudged over to the door, not knowing whether this was a good idea.   
But if there was a foreign noise or if she saw somebody she didn't recognize, you could bet that Sam would be running in immediately. She was curious, but not an idiot. If her life was in danger then it wasn't worth knowing who was out there.   
Opening the door of the guest cabin revealed that it was snowing harder then ever, and Sam had to squint just to see a few feet ahead of her. She blindly entered the realm of snowy wonder, not going too far out so she would lose sight of where she was.   
“How did that window break?” Sam wondered. Nobody was out there, next to herself, so it just didn't make any sense. With a sigh of defeat, she decided her best bet would be to get inside and think about what the best option would be from there.   
“Did you see anything?” Ashley asked, the worried tone clear in her voice. Sam shook her head, brushing fallen snow off of herself as Ashley moved towards her to meet her at the door.   
Curiously, Ashley moved towards the door once Sam had walked over to the couch, opening it up to take her own peek outside. The brewing snowstorm hit her hard, taking her by surprise. After a few moments, a few painful moments to be honest, she came to the conclusion there was nothing out there.   
“Odd...” Ashley mumbled to herself, closing her the door. She sighed and leaned back against it, the shattered glass still spooking her slightly, but logically thinking it could have just been an animal or rock or whatever...Yeah, logic.   
“Well, maybe we should head back to the lodge.” Sam suggested, leaning her head against the sofa as she watched Ashley tiredly. Ashley shrugged.   
“I guess so. But it'll be pretty hard through that storm.” Ashley mused, her thoughts reeling right back to the viscous storm going on outside. She had barely lasted a few seconds, and it took a while to get back to the lodge, so their odds didn't look too great.   
“Well, why don't you come over here? We can formulate a battle plan and then move on from there.” Sam patted the spot on the soft next to her.   
Ashley grinned and nodded, moving to walk over when suddenly a hand broke through the window, grabbing hold of the hood on her jacket.   
Ashley screamed as she felt herself ripped off from the ground by someone with some kind of superhuman strength. Her body was pulled through the window, broken glass tearing through her clothing and creating wounds on her flesh, blood seeping through the classroom.   
“HOLY SHIT! ASH!” Sam cried, darting over to the door and kicking it open. She stumbled slightly in her craze, nearly falling onto the snow as she looked around for where Ashley was.   
She couldn't see the girl through the snow, but she could still hear her screams. Sam looked around, seeing a rifle hanging up on next the front door of the cabin. She grabbed it before sprinting towards the sounds of her best friend's cries.   
Fearlessly she leaped onto different pieces of tubing floating on the river, getting passed easily enough. Her heavy breathing signaled she was supposed to be getting tired, but adrenaline and the fear that Ashley could be killed triggered something inside of her.   
Sam slid down a cliff, reaching out for a branch to stop her from stumbling, picking back up into a sprint afterwards. After a few moments she came across a ledge, and without a second thought, jumped right across it, landing with a huff.   
Before she knew it she was standing before some...mines? Yeah, they were definitely mines, and something told her that Ashley was done there. She slid down, deciding that the path in would take far too long.   
“ASHLEY!” Sam yelled, seeing a barely alive Ashley lying on the elevator shaft. Or maybe, she was dead. Sam couldn't tell from where she was standing.   
Immediately she forced every once of herself to run as fast as she could, prepared to get Ashley out of there no matter what.   
“Sam.” Ashley croaked, and right before Sam got to her, the elevator shaft dropped, falling down into a pit of darkness.   
“NO!” Sam cried out, falling to her knees as she watched Ashley slowly slip out of her reach, the whole mad dash becoming seemingly pointless. “No...” 

 

“Ugh...” Matt groaned in pain, his head throbbing as he struggled to force his eyelids open. After a few moments his willpower came through and, after struggling, he was able to get up in a standing position.   
He realized that he was in the kitchen, and placed his hands onto a chair to get his balance. Another groan escaped his lips, the pain becoming more and more tolerable with the passing moment, fortunately.   
“Shit!” The memories rushed into him, remembering that Jessica had been dragged away from someone, or something. Immediately he began to move, searching around the cabin for any signs of the girl or her boyfriend.   
He was wary as he walked around, each step had caution behind it. The man could still be in the lodge, and Matt was very vulnerable at the moment in time.   
Matt swallowed when he noticed a large blood stain on the wall. He prayed in his head that it wasn't either his friends as he forced himself to continue, no longer willing to gaze at the red work of art.   
After checking every room a second time, Matt realized that whatever had taken Ashley, and possibly Mike, had left the lodge to hide out somewhere else.   
The boy sharply breathed in as he walked outside, the cool air hitting him hard. It was snowing, but not as much as it had just minutes before. Actually, Matt had no idea how long he was out for, so it was probably more then just minutes.   
Cautiously he walked around the lodge, trying to find anything of importance that would lead him to where the couple were being kept. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed the shed, and concluded that it would be a good place to look.   
He jogged over, hoping-praying-that the duo were in there. He opened up the doors, revealing a work like area with some technical set up, glass beyond it revealing another room where...  
“Matt!” Jessica yelled, Matt's eyes widening at the sight before him. There they were, Mike and Jessica, both tied up against a wall with, what looked like, some sort of saw prepared to rip through them. “Help!”   
“Holy shit, what's happening?” Matt asked, Jessica looking around fearfully while Mike struggled to get out of his holds. Suddenly, a voice blared over a speaker inside of the old shed, breaking through the dusty air.   
“Hello, and thank you all for joining me.” The voice was eerie, with a robotic scratchiness to it. Mike began struggling harder, Jessica finding it useless since she had been struggling for forever.   
“Who the fuck are you?!” Jessica asked in a defiant tone, but her voice was still rather shaky. Mike just struggled further, it was only rope holding him, and from the looks of it, it wasn't tied very tightly. If only he could just get the right angle...  
“Tonight, we are going to conduct a little experiment.” The voice continued, heartlessly. Matt gritted his teeth, not liking where this was going.   
“What's that supposed to mean?” Matt barked, fearing for his friends safety. The saw looked extremely sharp, and could probably tear right through Mike or Jessica.   
“A sort of test,”   
“This is insane...” Jessica muttered, wondering whether or not she was dreaming. Mike didn't seem to be talking, so maybe it was just a dream.   
But really, Mike just didn't have the time to waste his breath on consulting with some crazed psychopath. He was getting close to getting out of the binds, if he just had a little bit longer...   
“Now for this test, we will need the cooperation of both of our subjects, Mike and Jessica of course.” Jessica whimpered at this reveal, a shiver running through Matt's spine at.   
Mike was almost there. Almost.   
“But, we need one more brave participant to initiate the experiment, of course.” Matt inhaled sharply, exhaling shakily when he realized he was the only other person there.   
Jessica was now shaking her head, rambling to herself, trying to convince her brain it was nothing more then a dream. It was certainly just a dream, obviously. Just a dream. Just a dream.   
Mike was getting there, he could feel it. If he could just get his arms out, it would be fine because that was what was holding up his upper body. He could just fall to the floor and easily avoid the horizontal saw, knowing it would never be able to reach him.   
“That participant must choose...Who will live and who will die?” If Matt had felt fear, then this must have been something different entirely, because this was true fear.   
A sob escaped Jessica's lips, knowing that either her or Mike weren't going to be alive in a few moments. She moved to take a look at him, knowing that it would most likely be her last.   
But he wasn't looking at her. He was trying to get free.   
Of course, that's what any body would have done of course.   
But why didn't he look at her?   
“NO! I'm not doing this!” Matt cried, slamming his hand against one of the walls, for some reason thinking if he inflicted enough pain upon himself it would all be over.   
“What is happening?” Jessica swallowed a sob, putting on a brave front as she looked around the shed for anything that could get her out of the situation.  
“Please, please settle down everyone. It's all very simple. Matthew, you will see a lever in front of you.” Matt looked down just where the glass ended, noticing a lever, a picture of his two friends on either side. “All you have to do is choose who you will save.”   
Right as the words left the unknown man's mouth, the saw switched on, moving slowly down it's path towards the middle of the duo. Matt noticed that there were two separate tracks, so depending on his choice the saw would go one way or another.   
“No, no, no, no, no, no...” Jessica words slurred into one another fearfully, her eyes widening dramatically at the saw in front of her. If it was scary before, this was terrifying.   
“Fuck! Don't do this!” Mike finally cried, the reality of the situation hitting him in the stomach when the saw switched on. But he continued to struggle, obviously. If Matt didn't choose to save him he would have to get out of the rope hold.   
“What the shit...What the shit...” Matt repeated over and over, his breathing becoming ragged as he watched the saw move forwards, the weight of the world crashing down on his shoulders. This was practically murder! He was ending somebodies life whether he liked it or not. The choice, the privilege to see his friends alive, was ripped from him in a matter of moments. “I can't do this. I can't do this!” Matt cried out, hoping the voice would come back, revealing that it was all some stupid prank.   
“Please...Please don't kill me!” Jessica yelped, watching as the blade edged towards her. She didn't want to die. She had her whole life in front of her, eighteen was way too young for somebody to die.   
Well, at least if Matt did choose to kill her, the death would be quick from the sharpness of the saw...  
NO! She needed to live! She didn't want to die. She didn't want to die!   
“Matt, come on buddy! Don't kill me, please!” Mike begged, still struggling through the rope, feeling the strong hold loosen dramatically. A rush of adrenaline coursed through him as he realized he could get free, he just needed another minute.   
But he realized he didn't have another minute.   
Matt uneasily placed his hand on the lever, knowing he needed to make the choice soon before somebody made it for him. It was hard to breath; it felt like somebody had their hands wrapped around his throat, all the while holding a dagger to his friends' throats, laughing psychotically.   
“Oh Jesus what do I do...?” Matt mumbled, exchanging looks with Jessica, who held the same fearful gleam in her eyes. Mike was too busy struggling to look at Matt, but the boy could tell that he most likely felt the same way about the situation.   
“Please Matt...” Jessica whimpered, just praying that Matt would choose her. She wasn't heroic. She couldn't do it, she just couldn't sacrifice her life for Mike.   
Everybody says that when there in a situation like that, they would risk their life for their loved one. But Jessica just couldn't do it! She just couldn't! She didn't want Mike to die and the thought of him dying sent her into a whirlwind of extreme sorry and guilt, but the thought of her dying for him seemed unreal.   
Maybe humans are just too selfish.   
Or maybe the love between her and Mike wasn't what she thought it was.   
“I...I...” Matt wished their was an option to kill himself instead, it would make it so much easier. But there was no point. There was no way he could save his friends. One of them were going to die that night.   
In the spur of the moment, when Mike was too busy trying to break free, Matt flipped the lever.   
“Matt, you have chosen to save Jessica.” The confirmation of his actions caused his body to wrack unnaturally as he fell to the ground, not wanting to watch one of his closest friends die.   
Mike's eyes widened at the revelation, mentally berating himself for focusing on breaking free instead of pleading for his own life.   
Or maybe he just knew it. Maybe he just knew Matt would choose to save Jessica and that trying to make a pitch for himself was absolutely pointless.   
“No, fucking no, fucking no,” Mike repeated, Jessica watching with incredulous eyes as the saw switched over to his track, a horrible feeling forming in the pit of her stomach as it edged closer and closer to him.   
“Mike no!” Jessica screamed, Mike's struggles turning into crazed movements as he realized if he couldn't break free he was a goner. Dead. Would never walk the earth again. Would never go to school or eat at the fast food place around town. Would never sleep with Emily while he was dating Jessica and immediately regret it afterwards. Would never reach his dreams, would never fall in love.   
No.   
He was Mike. He was going to find his way out.   
“I'm so sorry!” Matt cried out, slowly pulling himself up, for some reason needing to watch the blade slice through Mike. Maybe to check if it was really true. If he was really going to die. His friend, his close friend, was going to die.   
With a last surge of effort, Mike cried out and ripped his hands out of the ropes hold, immediately dropping to the floor just as the saw would have sliced right through him. His head hit the ground with a thud, a surge of pain coursing through his body.   
But it was nothing compared to what the saw would have been like.   
“You failed the experiment. Expect consequences, Matthew.” The speaker blared scathingly before it cut off, the door to where Mike and Jessica were opening.   
Matt sprinted through it, Jessica looking away, for some reason thinking that Mike had still died. Tears trickled down her cheeks as Matt moved to untie her.   
“Thank you Matt, thank you, thank you...” Jessica repeated over and over again, Matt not responding until she was untied. When she was, he immediately darted over to where Mike was, untying his legs so that he was now just lying against the floor.   
“I think he, I think he passed out.” Matt's voice was shaky, and he was stuttering slightly, the scare still haunting him as he lifted Mike upwards, swinging his arm around his own shoulder.   
Jessica darted over to Mike, checking whether he was alive or not with her own eyes, sighing in relief when she realized he was breathing.   
“Thank God...Matt, what just happened?” Jessica asked, her breathing erratic as tears continued to trickle down her cheeks.  
“I...I don't know. Let's just try to find the others. Stay close to me, okay?” Matt said the last part sternly, keeping her gaze on the girl until she replied.   
She nodded slowly, swallowing. “Yes...”   
The duo walked out of the shed, Matt struggling to keep Mike up as they moved, hoping that the psycho wouldn't come and get them while they were vulnerable. They need to find the others and inform them on what was happening was soon before something happened to them.   
“Jessica, no matter what happens, we're in this together...Right?” Matt asked, keeping his gaze forward, afraid of what the girl would say.   
She nodded firmly. “Of course.” She said this because the psycho's last words still haunted her.   
“You failed the experiment. Expect consequences.”  
“Matthew.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 2! Sorry for the wait, I've been a little busy lately.   
> If you guys didn't know, here where I live it is currently Remembrance Day. Wherever you are I invite you to take two minutes to remember those who have passed, no matter where they are from.   
> Thanks :D


	3. Hey! Can you hear me?

Chris grimaced as the weight he was carrying on his shoulders was becoming increasingly more difficult to muster. Mike was always a big guy, but there was never a situation in life where Chris could have possibly foreseen himself carrying the boy. Especially when they were under attack by some crazed killer.  
Yeah. Life was good.   
Josh had been rambling the whole time ever since they had gotten the news from Matt and Jessica. It made Chris a little bit uneasy; having an unstable Josh and an unconscious Mike wasn't really a great help in the middle of a crisis.   
“Hey Josh?” Chris managed to squeak out as they trudged through the snow, the small crystals of ice falling down slowly from the heavens. The night had lulled to a peaceful standstill; no more random raging storms and no more, well, no more nothing. It was just falling snow.   
Josh didn't respond. He was twiddling his thumbs, speaking under his breath as his body switched into auto-pilot. He was thinking, and yet he wasn't. He was trapped in a vortex within his mind that pulled him violently to different sides, trying to bring him to one of them. But no. They weren't getting him any time soon. He could outsmart them. Outlast them. He knew them.   
“Josh!” Chris said more firmly this time, snapping the boy back into reality. Josh shook his head, making a noise of confusion until he looked around himself, noticing that Chris was carrying Mike.   
“Ah, sorry Chris.” Josh mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. “Zoned out for a few moments there. Are you okay carrying Mike?” Josh wondered.   
Chris grinned, happy that Josh had come back to the real world, until he realized the baggage he was still carrying around.   
“I'll be fine I think. Mike should be coming too soon enough...Right?” Chris asked, the unsure tone clear in his voice. Josh shrugged, placing his hands up in defense.   
“Sorry, I'm not a doctor unfortunately.” Chris sighed while Josh laughed halfheartedly, and the rest of the walk to the cable car station was mindless chatter and checkups on Mike. The two boys hadn't come to terms with accepting the fact that there could be a murder on the lose on the mountains.   
The duo, and Mike, arrived at the cable car station soon enough. Chris leaned Mike against a wall, relieved to take a breath as he wiped a hand against his sweaty brow. Josh patted him on the back before approaching   
“The hell...” Chris heard Josh mutter. Curiously Chris walked up behind Josh, leaning over his shoulder to see what the boy was looking at.   
In his hands was an axe, an axe that should not have been at the cable car station. Josh was sure of that much as he held the weapon in his hand, wondering if it had been planted there or not.   
“Well, this will be good to hold on to.” Josh concluded, earning a nod of agreement from Chris. With the axe in his left hand, Josh moved to open the door with his right, finding that it was locked. “Oh joy.”   
“What, is it locked?” Chris wondered. Josh stepped out of the way, letting his friend try for himself. So, of course, Chris complied and gave the door his own whirl. But when he found himself stuck in a rut, he groaned.   
“We seem to have a lot of problems with locked doors.” Chris grumbled. Josh laughed, shaking his head as he shifted the axe around in his hands, putting both of them on the grip.   
“Take a step back, Christopher. Things are going to get wild.” Josh laughed, pulling the axe back before taking a swing at the door. Chris leaped back in surprise, yelping as he fell to the floor, landing near Mike's unconscious body.   
Josh laughed as he continued to tear away at the door until it finally burst open. With a sigh of relief, Josh wiped his forehead and smiled in contentment, turning to flash Chris a cheeky smile.   
“And that, ladies and gents, is how you break down a door.” Chris shook his head before he grabbed Mike by his arms, pulling his body into the cable car station, following behind Josh who had already entered.   
But when the duo entered the cable car station, they noticed that everything had been swept away. The station was had objects and items laying about, knocked over from their original position.   
“Jesus...” Chris mumbled as he set Mike on the floor. He rubbed his hands together quickly, his fingers rather chilly from the winter air.   
“What the hell happened here?” Josh asked as he looked around the station. As he was analyzing the area, he glanced through a window to another room to notice red writing on the walls reading: “Die?”   
Josh had mumbled it carelessly, but Chris had picked it up, and immediately turned his head over to see where Josh was looking. Once he saw the writing, he yelped in fear, stumbling backwards in shock.   
“What...What the hell? Who would write that?” Chris yelped. All Chris could think was the possibility was that there was blood painted on the wall. Whose blood was that? Where did it come from? How had it gotten there? “Holy shit...”  
Josh's eyes hadn't left the blood. The voices started to talk to him again. He had tried to tell them off for a bit, but they were really smart. Like, really smart. They always knew exactly what to say to him so that he would be right back in their pockets, like some a pencil or an eraser.   
But that was okay with Josh. He had tried going on his own, but it just wasn't really a fun time. But they knew exactly what to do! And it amazed Josh! He should have never left them. But they're back, so it's okay.   
Hannah. One of the voices chirped in. Josh shook his head.   
“N-No way. That's definitely not Hannah's...” Josh couldn't force himself to say it. His voice caught in his throat as the voices continued to spawn ideas.   
Josh's head started hurting as he grunted, moving his hands to his temples. Another groan escaped his lips. It was really starting to hurt. Like, really badly.   
“Josh?” Chris watched worriedly from the sidelines as Josh stared at the red color on the wall. Chris was pretty sure that it wasn't blood, after thinking about it for a few moments. But Josh hadn't even looked away from it yet. “Hey, Josh?” Chris slightly raised the voice, but there was no response from the boy.   
Instead, he was rambling under his breath. Chris couldn't hear what he said, and he assumed that it probably wasn't even intelligible. The boy swallowed nervously.   
“Josh!” Chris practically yelled, but it was enough to snap Joshua back into reality. With a flinch Josh turned to Chris with wide eyes. “Calm down Josh, it's just me. Just me.” Chris cooed, holding his hands up defensively.   
Josh didn't respond for a few seconds, but eventually he nodded slowly, before a 'normal' look appeared on his face.   
“Whoops, sorry Chrissy Poo, zoned out for a few minutes.” Josh chuckled halfheartedly, but Chris managed a smile in response. “Now, seems like we have quite a problem. Who could have done this?” Josh wondered as he looked around the area, slightly angry that somebody had messed up the cable car station so badly.   
Chris shrugged, the haunting feeling coming back as quickly as it had left.   
“I'm not sure. Maybe it's the person who attacked Mike.” Chris suggested with a shaky breath. He looked out to the cable car to see it in the middle of the pulley. “Aw crap!” He cried.   
“What?” Josh asked, turning to look at Chris. The boy motioned to the cable car, and Josh in turn followed, noticing that, in fact, there was no possible way to access the cable car. “Dammit. He must have known...” Josh mumbled, shaking his head.   
“Do you have any ideas?” Chris asked, scratching his head. Josh practically owned the mountain, so he assumed that Josh knew how things worked around there.   
Josh nodded, turning to face the room with the red writing on the walls. When the voices tried to come back, he shook his head fiercely. They were fun, but they weren't really helping the situation at the moment.   
“Yeah.” Josh replied as he moved into the room he, by this point, despised. But it was the only escape from the killer on the mountain.   
So with a deep breath he opened the door and entered the room. Chris followed behind with a gulp, leaving Mike in the other room. He really hadn't forgotten him, per say...  
Okay, he had forgotten him.   
He noticed a poster hanging on the wall, and in curiosity, moved to take a look. It depicted a map that had something that intrigued him.   
“Fire tower?” Chris mumbled to himself. “This might be a good thing.” If there was no way to access the cable car, which seemed unlikely by that point since Josh knew what he was doing, they could head there. Most likely there would be a radio they could call for help with.   
“Fuck.” Chris heard Josh curse loudly. He held in a sigh, realizing that Josh's tone signaled that something had gone wrong. “The keys are nowhere to be found. Whoever is targeting us must have taken them. Dammit!” Josh cursed again, slamming his hand against the wall. This was bad. Really bad.   
“Wait Josh. I have an idea.” Chris said, pointing to the fire tower on the map. “Look, there's a fire tower. We could find a radio and get in touch with somebody who could help us.” Chris explained.   
Josh moved to get closer, not noticing the faint red coloring on Chris' face from the closeness.   
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Chris' thoughts raced wildly as he tried to force down the heat in his face. This was not good. Not good at all! If coming to terms with the fact that you were flaming homosexual was bad enough, having a crush on Josh of all people must have been the Devil's work.   
Josh remained oblivious to the whole situation, feeling Chris' quickening breaths on the side of his neck. It sent a warm shiver down his spine, he noticed.   
Eventually he located the fire tower on the map and nodded.   
“I agree. That's probably our best option to get the hell out of here?” Josh agreed, moving away from Chris to get a better look at the boy. When he noticed his cheeks were practically tomato in color, he knew something was off. “Jesus Chris, you look like you just crawled around in a furnace for five days. You feeling okay?” Josh asked, slightly worried. It would be extremely difficult to deal with a sick Chris and a knocked out Mike, as if the latter wasn't bad enough already.   
Chris shook his head fiercely, making noises of protest. “Nope, I'm perfectly fine! Yep, so fine. Fine just like a fine...Fine.” Chris chuckled awkwardly after that, Josh raising an eyebrow at his friend.   
“Well, you're really fucking weird.” Josh laughed as he exited the room, Chris grumbling behind him. “Now that that's done with, let's get Mike and zip right up to the fire tower.” Chris hummed in agreement as he picked up Mike. Unfortunately the boy hadn't come to yet, but hopefully he would be awaking soon enough.   
Unless.   
“He's not dead, you think?” Chris wondered as he poked at the side of Mike's head curiously. Josh shook his head.   
“Nope, he's breathing. He'll be with us a little longer.” Josh replied as he left the cable car station, Chris in tow as they headed towards the fire tower. “Now let's head to a fire tower to escape a killer, why don't we?”

“Ah!” Chris cried as he covered his eyes. The security lights had came out of nowhere, and had done a great job of causing his eyes to smart. He groaned in pain, accidentally dropping Mike onto the ground with a thud. “”Aw, shit!” Chris swore as he reached down to pick up Mike, his eyes adjusting to the bright lights.   
Josh laughed and shook his head. He had merely flinched at the lights.   
“I thought glasses would help in this type of situation.” Chris mumbled as he lugged Mike through the snow. His feet were starting to get cold from the long walk, and his fingers felt close to numb. The only thing keeping his hands warm was the body heat emanating off of Mike's practically lifeless body.   
“How are we going to carry Mike all the way up?” Josh wondered out loud, looking up at the series of ladders. Chris felt his stomach churn at the seemingly endless amounts of ladders.   
“Joy.” Chris replied. How were they going to carry Mike all the way? Nevertheless, it was going to be one hell of a challenge.   
The two boys stood at the bottom of the fire tower, pondering how they were going to get Mike up. They couldn't just leave him at the bottom. That would be so stupid. What if the killer came? Mike would be gone within an instant.   
But carrying him all the way up would be extremely dangerous, let alone challenging.  
“Wait!” Chris suddenly realized that he had still had the backpack he had gone to retrieve with Josh. He took it off of his back and opened up, beginning to sift through it for the item he was searching for.   
“What is it?” Josh asked, kneeling down to get a look inside of his friends bag. He hadn't heard Chris' voice hitch.   
Too close! Too damn close! Was all the boy could think as he forced himself to continue to search in the bag until he came across some rope.   
“Here, I have some rope. Mike told me to bring it up, for some reason unbeknownst to me, but good thing he did! We can tie him to us and then lug him up all the way.” Chris explained as he pulled out the long supply of rope. Josh sighed in relief as Chris handed the rope and he began unraveling it immediately.   
“Thank God. Good work Chris.” Josh said, his voice filled with relief as he began wrapping the rope around Mike. He fastened it tightly, double knotting it for safety purposes, before he rinsed and repeated the same steps on himself.   
Soon enough the two boys were slowly climbing up the ladder as Mike hung midair a few feet down, kept upwards by the rope. Grunts and sounds of distress could be heard from both of the boys as the weight of Mike was getting increasingly more tough to carry with the passing moment.   
“Oh my God this was such a bad idea.” Josh said ironically, taking a deep breath as he forced himself to climb up another step. Chris was right behind him, finding himself in the same vigorous pain.   
“Well there wasn't exactly anything else to do!” Chris reminded the boy, just praying that he wouldn't slip. If he fell, he'd be taking down Mike and Josh with him.   
Josh sighed. “Sorry. Climbing ladders and lugging around a 'dead' body wasn't exactly my plan for this vacation.” Josh laughed. It had a sad undertone, Chris noticed, but he didn't question the boy about it.   
He was a little busy, ya know, carrying his unconscious friend up a fire tower to escape a murderous killer who had actually tried to kill the friend who is currently knocked out along.  
...Yeah. It had been a long day for Chris.   
Eventually the duo had scaled the fire tower and found themselves at the top. They entered a small room, immediately collapsing in side, catching their breaths from the long plight upwards. Mike drooped to the floor almost humorlessly, but nobody had the breath to laugh.   
“Jesus,” Josh panted as he lay against the floor, his eyes staring at the ceiling. “That was intense.” Chris made a strangled noise in response. Josh decided not to comment.   
Josh stood up first, deciding to give Chris a few extra moments to catch his breath. He looked around the small area, noticing a box on the wall. Curiously he walked over, realizing it was a container holding a flare gun.   
“Good, after I connect to the park ranger I can use this for extra...Wait.” If Josh shot the flare, that would mean that the killer would certainly see it. Maybe it was a better idea if he just held onto it for the time being.   
Josh turned around to see Chris still sprawled across the floor. He shook his head, chuckling at his friends antics.   
“Chris, get your ass in gear.” Josh said, laughing louder when Chris groaned painfully in response. Used to his usual physical decline, he decided to take the initiative as he walked over to the radio.   
After he fiddled around with it for a few moments, he attempted to connect with anybody. But when he was met with nothing but static, a eerie feeling crept up his back, making the hairs stand up on his neck.   
Come on, come on, come on... Josh thought as he tried for a second time, just praying that it would eventually work. The voices tried to pipe in, but he forced them away. His psychiatrist told him that the voices were bad...Right? They were bad, they were bad, they were bad...  
Josh shook his head. It was hard to keep focus under this type of situation. With a shaky exhale he tried to use the radio a second time. Then a third time. Then a fourth.  
Then it worked.   
“Hello...Hello?” The voice was frizzy and muffled, but in Josh's ears it was loud and clear. A rush of hope flew through him, chasing away the eeriness from before as he leaned in closer to the radio.   
“Help! Help!” Josh yelled into the radio, the connection a little unstable as he heard the park ranger zip in and zip out, different bits of conversation appearing at the wrong time.   
“Hello...Wrong...Sir?” Though Josh couldn't catch all of it, he caught the important parts.  
“I'm Josh Washington. I'm staying at Blackwood Pines in a lodge with my friends.” Josh spoke calmly, a drastic difference to how he usually acted in this type of situation. Maybe the stronger medicine was working. The voices weren't so persistent, anyways. “T-There's somebody else up here with us, and he t-tried to attack one of my friends.” Josh felt his calmness slip away at the reality of the situation. He was in danger. His friends were in danger.   
He wouldn't let what happened last year happen again.   
“Listen Josh, I need you to stay calm. Gather up all of your friends...lodge...stay in th-... until dawn.” Josh's eyes widened at the last part, and he, in frustration, slammed his hands on the desk.   
“Dawn? Dawn?! Listen, sir, this is really bad! Like, really bad!” Josh yelled into the radio, all rational thought leaving his mind.   
Suddenly the fire tower began to shake, and Josh stumbled backwards, looking around in surprise.   
He felt himself slam into somebody, and looked around to see Chris standing behind him, his hands stopping him from toppling onto the floor.   
“What's happening?” Josh yelled as he felt the fire tower began to tip over, items on the desks falling onto the floor, grouping together on the left side of the room.   
“I think someone cut the support lines!” Chris explained, as the slight tipping of the tower suddenly increased drastically until the fire tower was falling down completely.  
The screams of the two boys echoed into the winter night, never to be heard by anybody as the fire tower fell into the mines. What awaited these two was something they could have never anticipated. 

Matt looked worriedly around the Washington lodge, praying that he would stumble upon Emily sooner or later. It must have been the thirtieth time he had scourged the bathroom, trying to find anything that could possibly give him a clue to where his friend could be.   
When he came up with nothing, a guilty feeling filled up in his chest. If he had just went and got her instead of searching through that stupid secret passage none of the situation he was in would be happening. Or, at least, he would have Emily with him throughout it.   
“Dammit.” He cursed as he exited the bathroom, before he began frantically searching around the lodge for Jessica. He needed to look out for her too, since Emily had disappeared so easily. “Jess!” He called out, his voice bouncing off of the walls of the lodge, the worried tone clear in his voice.   
“Yep?” Jessica replied from downstairs. She was currently sifting through the kitchen, hoping to find something of importance. It really didn't matter that she wasn't Emily's biggest fan. She certainly didn't want her dead.   
“Sorry, just wanted to know where you were.” Matt spoke in a calmer tone as he joined Jessica in the kitchen. “I guess you haven't found anything.” Matt said glumly, sighing when Jessica shook her head in response.   
“Don't worry Matt, Emily's smart. She knows how to get herself out of a tough situation.” Jessica smiled warmly. The blond wasn't really sure if she had the right to say that. Of course she was right. Emily was a genius. But her lover, or extremely close friend, was already safe so she didn't need to worry. Matt didn't have that comfort.   
Though, she didn't know if she could consider Josh and Chris 'safe'.   
Matt smiled halfheartedly in response. It was forced. But he didn't want to dwaddle about the bad situation. They just needed to move forwards and find Emily. Thinking was not the same as doing.   
“You think we should check the basement?” Matt suggested, the unease clear in his voice. The idea was smart, but a anxious feeling formed in the pit of Jessica's stomach.   
“...Yeah. Let's go.” So after a few uneasy first steps, the duo began their tread towards the basement, hoping to find any trace of Emily that could somehow lead them to her. 

Jessica walked a small distance behind Matt, looking at all the junk and boxes that were gathered in the area. There wasn't too much of it, so it was rather easy to move about. Plus, if worst came to worst, Jessica would be able to dart out of there in an instant.   
“Emily?” Matt called out, flashlight in hand as he looked around the barren basement. Hope was flowing through his body, keeping him moving. He would be content if he could find Emily. If she died because of him, the pain would be unbearable.   
The walked through a hallway, this time Jessica in the lead because Matt had decided to loop back and recheck. As she neared a corner, she saw somebody.   
Their body was almost... transparent. Jessica could see right through them, yet she could see them at the same time. Their features were muddled together, making the person very hard to describe.   
But she did notice long hair.   
“AH!” Jessica screamed as she stumbled backwards, the body disappearing in an instant. Matt immediately darted over, his heart racing fearfully at the loud cry.   
“Jessica?!” He looked to see the girl standing in front of the door to the hallway. She was breathing heavily, and her eyes were wide, the horrified gleam clear in her eyes. “What happened? What did you see?” Matt asked, his heart rate quickening as he felt himself mentally prepare for anything that could be coming down that hallway.   
“Ghost! I saw a ghost, Matt! A-A real ghost!” Jessica cried, almost in a hysterical way.   
Crap, is she hallucinating or something? Matt wondered as he placed his hands on her shoulders, moving so that he was looking her in the eyes.   
“Listen Jess, there's a lot going on, and I just need you to calm down. You probably saw nothing.” Jessica grunted in response and ripped out of his grip, shaking her head vigorously.   
“I'm serious Matt! Don't give me that look! Don't give me that look like I'm crazy!” Jessica yelled, her voice escalating in loudness. Matt held his hands up defensively.   
“I'm not, Jess!” He took a deep breath, settling his nerves slightly as his mind raced with ways to get out of this scenario. “Jess, come on, let's just take a deep breath okay.”   
“But!”   
“I'm not saying you didn't see anything,” Matt interjected, annoying Jessica slightly. “But I think we both need to take a deep breath. There's a lot going on right now, so it would be normal to see some weird things. I'll lead the way, so if we run into that ghost again, I can take it head on!” Matt grinned playfully, hoping that he hadn't pissed of Jessica any further.   
Jessica shook her head, but giggled lightly. Her heart-rate was going down as she inhaled and exhaled, taking Matt's advice. She was just high on energy, was all. It was a long night, and was sure to be a longer one, so she just needed to stay calm.   
The adrenaline rush slowly died down, but the creeping feeling of somebody around the basement was still there. It wasn't as intense as before though.   
“Okay, okay. Sorry for the scare.” Jessica scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. She was such an idiot. Ghosts didn't even exist! Duh!   
...So then how did the spirit board move?  
“It's okay. I'm just glad you're alright.” Matt's warm smile sent a shiver down Jessica's spine, but it wasn't the haunting, creeping ones she received from the horrors of the last couple of hours. It was sweet, and warm instead of chilling.   
Thankfully the boy didn't stick around to check out her blush. He was already moving onward through the hallway, causing Jessica to scramble to catch up with him.   
The pair walked throughout the basement for another good while, still finding no trace of Emily. It was starting to get Matt down, but he was determined not to lose hope. At least he knew that Emily had to be somewhere on the mountain.   
...Or maybe she would be better off not being on the mountain.   
“Wow Matt, look at this!” Jessica's voice snapped Matt back to reality as he looked to his left to see the blond hunched over an old dollhouse.   
Matt walked over, leaning over to get his own look. It was your average dollhouse. A white house with a brown roof made completely out of plastic, with four square cookie cutter windows and one door directly in the middle. It was perfectly made. Factory made.   
“Amazing! It's a dollhouse!” Matt snickered sarcastically, earning a scowl from Jessica.   
“No you dumb oaf! Look through the windows.” Jessica explained as she peered through one of the windows. She couldn't see much, but there were different dolls placed specifically around the room.   
“Huh. I still don't see your point.” Matt said as he glanced through the window. After a few moments he moved away, not finding anything of interest as he resided to search around the basement to find anything of importance.   
Jessica sighed as she moved away from the dollhouse, noticing the ghost lingering about in the middle of the room.   
“There it is Matt!” Jessica cried as the ghost started suddenly moving. She quickly chased after it, leaving an exasperated Matt calling after her.   
The ghost disappeared and Jessica found herself standing before a key that was hanging on the wall. Matt appeared behind her, shaking his head.   
“Jess, what are you doing? There are no ghosts!” Matt said sternly, his nerves getting the better of him. He just needed to calm down. Just calm down. Calm down.   
“It led me here...” Jessica mumbled as she reached for the key. Once it was in her hands, she zoomed past Matt towards the dollhouse in a craze like fashion.   
Has she lost it? Matt thought as he, once again, found himself dashing after Jessica. She was standing before the dollhouse, key in hand as she inserted it into the top part of the house. The front part of the dollhouse opened up, springing outwards to the left.   
“I knew it.” Jessica said as she looked at the doll scene before her. The little plastic dolls were placed in different positions. Their eyes were dark black in color, and had black lines coming out of them.   
At a closer inspection, Jessica realized that they were all recreations of everyone now. She was able to spot everyone, Matt, Mike, Emily, Ashley, Chris, and even herself, but there was someone else as well who she couldn't recognize.   
And then it all clicked.   
“What the hell is this?” Matt muttered, taking a little bit longer to connect the dots. It looked like some stupid attempt to scare the both of them. He had more pressing matters, anyways, like on how Jessica was seeing 'ghosts'. “Jess...”   
“Hannah...” Jessica mumbled, her hand subconsciously reaching towards the doll. “That's Hannah. This is what happened last year. Somebody went and recreated the whole scene, perfectly.” Jessica insisted, her hand still creeping towards the doll.   
A shiver was sent spiraling down Matt's spine at the revelation. Someone had to take the time the make dolls of them, and them somehow gain information on what their specific set up was during the Hannah prank. How could have they possibly known? Why did they want to know?   
“This is fucking horrifying...” Matt trailed off, not thinking that Jessica had picked up on what he had said. But she had, and a now terrified look adorned her face. It must have been even more scary due to the fact that she was believing that she had seen a ghost.   
So, with a surge of faux confidence, Matt grabbed onto Jessica's shoulders. It was more forceful then the first time when she had her first run in with the ghost, but it wasn't so tight that it was confining or painful.   
“Jessica, let's just calm down, okay? It doesn't matter what this guy's intentions are or that he's trying to creep us out or anything. All we need to do is get through this, okay? And I promise we will.” Matt smiled warmly at the end, and Jessica felt herself melt under his touch. Her fears weren't put to rest, but she was definitely calmer then she was before.   
“Thanks Matt. I needed that.” Jessica admitted, chuckling afterwards in embarrassment. “Thank God you're here with me, or else I would be screwed. But seriously, thanks.” Jessica said genuinely, a natural aura about her that made Matt feel rather calm as well.   
Matt didn't realize he was staring. He merely associated with glancing or looking or whatever. He was just doing simple check up, really. Checking her features for any bruises or anything since the incident with Mike. She really was a pretty girl. Matt was happy for Mike, their personalities meshed pretty well. Though sometimes Jessica could be a tad overbearing, she always gave you the life of the party. The best part of Jessica she could give. And then sometimes, if you looked closely enough, you would realize that Jessica is just happy to be appreciated. That's all she ever wanted.   
“Uh...Matt?” Matt immediately let go, his cheeks flushing slightly. He mentally scolded himself; he must have looked like some over attached friend or something.   
“Oh, sorry. Just zoned out for a moment there.” Matt chuckled awkwardly as he turned away from the girl, pretending to busy himself with searching around the basement.   
“...Is he-?” The noise of the roof of the dollhouse flipping open cut her off. She yelped at the sudden noise, stumbling slightly before she caught herself. She whipped around to look at the dollhouse. “Matt, look at this!”   
In Jessica's hands was none other then Hannah's diary. It had been hidden away in the top of the roof along with a few other items that Jessica deemed unimportant.   
“What? Hannah's diary?” Matt said as he leaned over Jessica's shoulder to get a look at the diary. Jessica, in turn, flipped it open to one of the pages.   
“What? Josh does therapy?” Jessica wondered aloud as she read one of the pages of the diary. Matt raised an eyebrow at the reveal, completely unaware of the fact that Josh had some sort of reason to even go to therapy. From first glance, he seemed like a completely normal, humorous, loving guy.   
The dark side of the bright side.   
Jessica flipped to the next page, not really sure why she was snooping through Hannah's diary now of all times. The next few read something about some party and how she desperately wanted Mike to go.   
“This was before the incident...Last year.” Jessica concluded, guilt churning in her stomach. She started to feel slightly nauseated, and the diary nearly slipped out of her hands before she grabbed hold onto reality and pushed back the icky feeling that was building up inside of her.   
The two slowly slipped away from the dollhouse in silence. They walked throughout the basement, neither of them saying anything as they walked down another staircase to a lower level. Matt wasn't really even sure what was happening any more. He was too tired.   
“Is it my fault Matt?” Jessica's suddenly asked, breaking through the silence that had formed during the small duration of guilt. The question didn't necessarily surprise Matt, but it made him feel bad for Jessica.   
“...” Matt pondered the thought for a few moments. Was it Jessica's fault? Partially, maybe, but certainly not all of it. “It's everyone's fault. We all had the opportunity to step in and stop it from happening, and yet we didn't. I regret it every day.” Matt admitted, and it was almost painful. The repressed memories sprung out of seemingly nowhere, but Matt was always aware of them. And he was sure that Jessica was too.   
Jessica didn't respond. She wanted to, but she couldn't find her voice. It was caught in her throat, and she feared that if she spoke again the nauseated feeling would return.   
“You know what I don't get about people, Jessica?” Matt began, knowing that Jessica wasn't responding anytime soon. So when she didn't, he just decided to continue. “Why do we let ourselves feel guilty? I mean, feeling guilty about the situation isn't going to change the situation.” It was almost like there was a bitter tone in Matt's voice. Like he was angry at whoever was haunting them for the mistakes they made. It wasn't like he unaware of the mistakes he made, and he felt horrible for them. Guilt was just somebody who found making others feel unworthy of forgiveness joyful. Guilt thrived in it.   
“...Guilt is so we don't make the same mistakes again.” Jessica said simply. She didn't on the matter any further, that was all she had to say.   
“You're pretty smart.” Matt admitted as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “You don't give yourself enough credit.” Jessica shrugged.   
“Well, just take a look at my grades. You might feel different afterwards.” Matt laughed at this one, nodding in agreement. His own grades weren't that great either.   
Jessica laughed along with him. It made her forget what was really going on. Made her forget about the creep who was sneaking around Blackwood Pines, intent on finishing what he had started.   
She gulped, hoping Mike was okay.   
The duo stopped before a heavy door, Jessica wondering why there was a heavy door in the basement of an old lodge. But with so many other odd things going on, she didn't really have the right to question it.   
“...Blood?” Matt muttered as he knelt down to see a small pool of something red gathered on the floor in front of the heavy door. Fear coursed through his veins. “You think...?”   
A shaky breath left Jessica's lips as she gulped.   
“I really, really hope not.” Was all she could say as Matt slowly stood back up, forcing himself to look away from the blood. Trying to move his mind away from whatever was on the floor, he placed his hand on the door handle and opened it.   
“EMILY!” Matt yelled as he darted over to the familiar face. There she was, safe and sound, adorned in a towel. She was tied up in a chair, but she was safe. Matt had done it. He finally did something useful. “Thank God...”   
“Matt, watch out!” Jessica cried. But it was too late, the psycho had already clocked him right in the head, knocking him out instantly. “No!”   
Suddenly the psycho turned towards her, and she whimpered fearfully, having nothing to defend herself with. Jessica was frozen in fear, not sure of how to act in this type of situation because she had never been in such a horrifying situation.   
“Matt...” Her voice was mangled, and the call for help came out more as a strangled cry. The killer crept closer towards her, and she mentally prepared herself to fight back.   
It only took one swing to knock her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you liked the chapter


	4. My Momma Don't Like You And She Likes Everyone

“Emily...Emily...Emily!” Emily awoke with a start. She moved around fearfully, still in a half asleep state as she tried to piece together where she was and how she got there. “Emily, it's me! Sam!”   
Emily looked over to her right to see Sam's face through a grate in the wall. Everything came together like some type of horrible puzzle that was constructed by the devil itself. The sudden urge to cough appeared and it was followed by a small sneeze, it was rather dusty where she was.   
Wherever she was.   
“Sam? What...Where am I?” Emily asked. She looked down to see herself sitting in a chair, the feeling of the wooden surface becoming known. When she moved to stand up, she was met by thick rope that was tightly constraining her wrists and ankles. “S-Sam? Help, I'm stuck!” Emily called out, looking over to see the girl watching in slight amusement. “You think this is funny?”   
“It's been a long night Emily. Don't blame me for trying to find something to laugh at.” Sam chuckled lightly, beckoning for Emily to come over. “Scoot your chair over here and I'll untie you.” Sam suggested with a small smile, her eyes becoming more situation as the reality switched in.   
Emily sighed, but complied as she began to will herself over, nearly tipping over every now or then. Each mistake was met with a loud curse, along with a light laugh from Sam, who was currently very weary from the turn of events. Once Emily was close enough, Sam requested for the girl to turn around, and with her machete she sliced Emily free.   
“Thanks Sam.” Emily thanked simply as she stood up from her chair. Sam nodded, placing the machete back into her belt.   
“Listen, Emily, there's some really bad stuff happening on this mountain. I mean, I was attacked...By somebody...They...They took...” Sam couldn't will herself to finish, the memories to painful to even think about. She bit her lip, thinking that if she tried to continue talking, she would cry.   
Emily noticed this, because she was Emily, and decided it was best to not elaborate.   
“I know Sam, I was attacked too. That's why I ended up here, that douche attacked me!” Emily's voice raised slightly as each word flowed out of her mouth, anger churning in her stomach. Sam looked pretty broken standing in front of her, and this girl was usually extremely good with controlling her emotions. And even if her friendship with Sam had taken quite a blow due to the year prior's events, she still remembered that friendship. That relationship. That connection .  
Friends didn't let other friends die on their own. Sometimes, for Emily especially, that concept was hard to grasp, but when you were looking death straight in the eye, she could see why people would feel that way.   
“I'm going to kill him...” Sam mumbled, disgust evident in her voice as Emily's eyes searched Sam's body. She was cloaked in dirt and dust, and her eyes were hardened, hiding a layer of tiredness and fear. She was wearing some jacket Emily hadn't seen her wearing before, and there was something wrapped around two of her fingers.   
“Oh god, Sam, what happened to your fingers?” Emily exclaimed as she knelt down to get a better look. The gauze that was wrapped around the wound was soaked in blood, and merely looking at the blood made Emily internally gag.   
Sam cringed at Emily's words, the pain still lingering in the back of her mind.   
“It's nothing...” Sam explained, brushing her friend off with a plastered smile. “Just cut it and...”   
“Cut it? You're missing two fucking fingers!” Emily cried incredulously at Sam's ease with the horrible injury. Sam bit her lip, averting her eyes.   
“I'll tell you later, okay Em?” Sam's voice was quiet, almost in embarrassment, which Emily found astounding. It was nothing to be embarrassed of. It was something that needed to be treated! Helped! Something! L  
“...Fine.” Emily complied, the sigh of relief escaping Sam's lips not being unnoticed. “Now, let's get to each other.” Sam hummed in agreement, and peeked through the grate, pointing at the door in the room.   
“I need you to open that right up. It should lead you to help me open this door over here.” Sam explained, motioning to a door to her left. Emily nodded and stood up from her spot, turning to her right, noticing her backpack hanging on the door. She fished through the objects inside, noticing a large flashlight. She silently thanked the heavens before she opened the door to the next room.   
Bricks stuck out crookedly from the walls in the hall, darkness creeping around in the nooks and crannies. Emily shuddered at the sight; the darkness wasn't horrifying, but the thought that somebody was currently sneaking around was.   
At the end of the small walkway were two doors. She moved to the left one and removed the wooden bar keeping it closed, dropping it on the floor carelessly before forcing the door open. The noise ended up startling Sam, who was on the other side, but a happy smile played across her lips.  
“Emily, thank god.” Sam moved to wrap her hands around the girl, pulling her into a hug. Emily slightly cringed at the touch, not feeling any contact from the girl in a long time. But after she found herself getting familiarized with the actions, she wrapped her own hands around Sam, surprising herself and Sam as well.   
The two hugged for a few moments-a few moments too long or too short, Emily didn't know-before pulling away.   
“Wow, you look like shit Sam. Usually I could count on you to present yourself nicely.” Emily said before she stepped past the blond, who looked at Emily with an amused look.   
“You were always the nicest one of us all Emily.” Sam countered. Emily rolled her eyes, a light laugh escaping her lips as she moved behind a tall shelf, dropping her backpack onto the floor. She sifted through her belongings before she came across a fresh pair of clothes.  
“As comfortable as I am about my sexuality, I would prefer if you didn't play Peeping Tom right now.” Emily called out to her friend, who sighed and turned away.   
“Darn. I really wanted to see you in the nude.” Sam said sarcastically, eliciting a scoff from Emily who grabbed a pair of yoga pants and a sweater from her bag. Not the most convenient nor fashionable clothing, but it was all she had in the small pack.   
After she finished, she zipped the backpack back up and swung it around her shoulders, a content smile on her face. She was finally out of that hellish towel.   
“Okay Samantha, you can look now. Hopefully my face and legs will satisfy your sexual needs.” Emily called out to her friend, who turned around with a slight blush, embarrassed.   
“I'm not that bad...” Sam mumbled as she scratched the back of her neck. Emily laughed for a second time, mentally preparing herself for the next game plan as she approached her friend.   
“I can't do this!” The surprise voice sounded through the lodge, and it caused Emily's breath to hitch in fear, her heart beginning to thud at a rapid pace. Loud sobs followed the voice of protest, and Emily turned to exchange looks with Sam, the same fearful look in the blond's eyes.   
Wordlessly the two darted back into the hall Emily had come from, tracking the noise to the door Emily hadn't opened. Sam moved to place her ear against the door, and after sending a nod of confirmation to Emily, she threw herself into the door, successfully busting it open.   
“Damn.” Emily mumbled as she jogged in after Sam, surprised by the girl's physique before all thoughts were washed away when she noticed Matt tied in a chair. “Matt!” Emily was prepared to sprint at the speed of light, thankful to see her best friend when she felt herself held back by some strong force. “Sam, what the hell?” Emily glared angrily at her friend, confused why the blond would have stopped her.   
“Listen Emily, as much as I would love to run over, we need to figure out what's going on before we recklessly throw ourselves in. We aren't just risking our lives, but Matt and Jessica's too.” Sam explained with a stern tone, her iron grip starting to her Emily's arm. Once the girl began to wince, Sam released her grip, Emily pulling away with a grunt of disgust.   
“Fuck you Sam.” Emily spat. Sam rolled her eyes, expecting this kind of reaction from the girl as she instead decided to ignore her, noticing a man approaching her two friends. 

The smell of something burning filled Mike's lungs to the brim as he awoke with a start, his heart pumping rapidly as his eyes flickered open. Bright light stung his eyes, and a smoky taste filled his mouth, causing him to cough loudly.   
“Jesus Christ...” He coughed, his head thudding wildly in pain. His hands instinctively moved to his head, trying to make sense of the situation. As he looked around, he noticed he was lying in some kind of tower that was currently filled with flames and smoke alike. And for some reason, his head was ringing painfully, and his movements felt sluggish.   
Mike forced himself upwards, instincts kicking it as he realized if he didn't get out of the situation he was in, he was going to die.   
Another cough escaped his lips as he looked through one of the gaping holes in the floor, revealing a large pit that seemed to lead into complete and utter darkness. Somehow he had ended up in a tower, leaning over top a large drop, without having any recollection of it.   
“Fucking great...” He cursed as he began climbing up a ladder, praying that the tower wouldn't suddenly drop into the depths below. He coughed again, climbing high enough until he noticed a small ledge that seemed like a good place to jump to before the tower fell completely.   
“Hold on!” A voice called out, and Mike looked around the area to see Josh and Chris clinging onto the side of the tower, the tower threatening to take it down with them.   
Mike looked in surprise at the duo, the thought of this possibly being a dream leaving his mind as the thought of death uppercut him in the gut. He scrambled over to the duo, leaning over to get a better look at them, shocked that they had ended up there as well.   
“Josh! Chris! What the fuck is happening?” Mike yelled, the two boys looking up at Mike with shocked expressions.   
“Oh thank god you're awake! You need to help us!” Chris cried as she clutched onto the side of the tower, his other hand stopping Josh from falling. “This tower is going to collapse any second!”   
Mike nodded, before nodding again, trying to recollect his thoughts. He snagged his foot onto a hold before he attempted to lean over the side, reaching his hands out to Chris, who wasn't sure how to grab onto Mike's hand without dropping Josh.   
“Shit.” Chris cursed at the revelation, wondering if he could just adjust his free hand to quickly latch onto Mike's. Then again, Mike's hand was pretty far away, so Josh's added weight might instantly pull him down into the darkness below.   
“Chris, let me go!” Josh yelled, noticing what was happening as well, an icky feeling filling his stomach as he swallowed. It felt like spiders were crawling about inside of his body, leaving seeds of pain everywhere they went.   
Chris looked at his friend incredulously, shocked on how he could even suggest such a thing.   
“Are you fucking crazy? I'm not doing that!” Chris shouted in response, before he looked back up at Mike pleadingly. “Please Mike, can you reach a little farther?” Chris pleaded, praying that they could both be saved.   
“I'm trying!” Mike grunted, adjusting to he could reach even farther. He gasped slightly as his eyes met with the drop below, his body now half hanging over the side of the tower. But he put on a brave face, knowing that Josh and Chris were in a worse position then he was.   
“Chris, this isn't a joke anymore! This is life and death! If you let me go, you can live!” Josh explained, looking at Chris in disbelief. It wasn't even like Josh had much to live for anyways, Chris had his full future in front of him. And he knew it.  
“Oh my god I can't believe we are having this conversation.” Chris whimpered as he tried to force himself upwards, his grip loosening from the craziness of it all. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He repeated as he tried to readjust his grip, nearly loosing it completely with a loud gasp.   
“Hold on!” Mike called out, nearing closer and closer every inch he moved his body for the side. It was not about staying safe himself now, but about trying to get Chris and Josh to safety as well.   
“Chris, this isn't a suggestion, it's a god damn order. Please, let me go!” Josh begged, not wanting to put his friend into anymore danger then he had already. This was his fault, he had invited everyone back up onto the mountain, it was his idea. Sure, more or less it was Doctor Hill's idea, but he had gone through with it! Like a complete and utter idiot! And now, his best friend was going to die.   
No, he could prevent that.   
“Josh just shut the fuck up!” Tears were streaming down Chris' cheeks now, and he couldn't tell if it was because of the severity of it all or because the smoke was clouding his vision. Unfortunately, they began dripping down from his chin onto Josh, who began sputtering from the sudden salty taste in his mouth.   
“Don't cry Cochise, makes you look stupid.” Josh laughed, tears welling up in his own eyes at the thought of death becoming all to real. “Now let go and go live your life, and get the hell out of this place!” Josh spoke in his regular playful tone, efficiently masking his pure and utter fear of death and oblivion. Chris rolled his eyes and scoffed, but Josh could see the small smile playing at his lips.   
“Holy crap, listen to you motherfuckers!” Mike yelled, tears trickling down his own face. Obviously, it was from the smoke. Mike didn't cry. “You aren't going to die! If you just get your asses in gear and hold on a little longer, I'll have you both up here in a moment!” Before they knew it, the boys all found themselves chuckling tearfully, wishing they could all wake up from the nightmare they were currently trapped in.   
The tower collapsed before Mike could pull them up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapter titles are really random XP usually there just dependent on what song I'm listening to.  
> Hope you liked it!  
> Accidentally uploaded the wrong chapter before! LOL

**Author's Note:**

> And this is the first chapter! I have a profile FanFiction where I am also posting this story, but there are also three oneshots at the beginning. They do not intertwine with the story and are completely unconnected, but follow this link if you are interested:  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7112545/ShawtyItEli  
> I will be posting the next few chapters right away since I already have them on FanFiction, so yay!  
> I hope you all enjoyed, and sorry for any spelling errors.


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